A Not Recommended Targeted Review for US Workers
Pros
Let me preface my review with the observation that Fiserv is huge – there are tens of thousands of employees across the globe and for all I know, those in Costa Rica or India are having a wonderful time working for this company. I can only speak about my experience working in the USA, so this review will reflect that. Fiserv does some very cool enterprise level work with the level of complexity that looks good on a resume. The management attitude of “get this done” assures that projects do, in fact, get done, no matter what the obstacles. But be ready to buckle in and endure the ride, which will be unpleasant at times. You will need to put in plenty of extra time to see it through and do your part. The tradeoff is the chance to get some solid experience and learning to take to a more palatable employer. There are some first-class people who work here and have a sincere interest in seeing the company succeed. As others have stated, however, many of them are leaving due to a “site strategy” I’ll discuss later in this review. There is a chance to work with some first-rate, helpful people across the globe on products and projects. It has enriched me to experience this and gain exposure to their cultures. There are run of the mill, average benefits for a company this size. Make sure to account for the cost of the benefits when discussing salary.
Cons
There is risk of being siloed in a job. They have a lot of routine, but mission critical work that must be done daily. They have an easy time putting people in a job and forgetting about them because the work gets done. The risk, of course, is that it can stagnate your career. The mantra of top leadership is “my way or the highway”. If you make suggestions, they will be ignored, for the most part. Teams are micromanaged, so prepare to agree with anything they want and you will be okay (though frustrated). The culture is degrading… and fast. Fiserv once referred to employees as “associates” to encourage people to feel more as owners and contributors to overall company success. This has been abandoned by the First Data management that leads the company now. Staff are just cogs in a machine that can just as easily be replaced by other cogs in “go-forward” locations such as Berkeley Heights. Speaking of Berkeley Heights, the new flagship Fiserv campus, I really should come back to the firm’s “site strategy”. Essentially, the company wants its employees to commute and work directly from a Fiserv office instead of working remotely. This is leading to a large purge of remote staff as they were offered one of two choices - either relocate and work from an office OR train a replacement and leave. Many of these people worked remotely for decades or they DID work from an office that Fiserv closed during the pandemic. They have a deep knowledge of the complex products they support and the brain drain this year will be staggering from losing them. Know that if you choose to hire on at a go-forward location and are to be trained by a tenured departing remote employee, the day will come soon when you are the expert on whatever product and must provide resolution and answers. You will be expected to do this with scant training and likely no knowledgeable staff to assist or mentor. Fiserv raises are minimal and do not quite keep pace with inflation. If hired on, negotiate hard upfront for what your pay will be. Interview the company deeply to assure you will get the targeted experience you seek to further your career and view it as a temporary stopping spot. It simply is not the company one would want to stay long term. Good luck, dear reader!
