customer service representative

personal banker

branch manager

business banking relationship manager

credit analyst

Wafd-Bank

The job would have been ok if WAFED didn't have so many issues with their tech. Their new website seemed like it had a new issue each day. That's where most of the call volume came from. Sometimes it would be tons of calls due to something updating wrong on the bank's end so debit card wouldn't work till hours later for people. At least half of the calls I took were issues on wafed's end. 

I also had a big problem with the systems we used. Just to add a note to an account took about 15 or so mouse clicks and loading time just to get to where you could type the note. By the time you finally got there the customer was annoyed it took so long for such a simple task. 
Just to despute a transaction you had to fill out a form and attach it to an email with a specific template and email it to the proper group, not to mention still having to navigate through far too many screens during the process and waiting for them to load. Meanwhile the customer is just waiting for much longer than they should. Everything goes through email there and after emailing many tasks you would then later follow up by calling the customer back yourself. That means that if you call about an issue like "my account says it's locked" but you call me a few hours to the end of my Thursday shift, you wouldn't get a resolution or response at all until sometime the next Monday (I worked 4 10s). That is far to long to wait for alot of issues. Then when the client calls back frustrated they haven't got an answer in days there isn't much you can do to help because you don't know who handled it. If the customer knows the agent's name you can send a message to them but if they aren't working that day, too bad. You would think that issues that you submit for a customer would go to some pool that would be resolved by the next available person but no. 
So many calls were me apologizing for agent's not calling people back or apologizing for slow loading of anything (didn't matter if working from home or bank, they just loaded slow) , even apologizing about supervisors not calling people back for days. By the way you can't call in and speak to a supervisor. There are only a few working each day and they are usually busy but even when they aren't busy we weren't supposed to connect customers to them. All we could do is email supervisors to call them back but we couldn't give the customer a time or date so when they were finally called back they usually wouldn't answer. 
There were a ton of similar little issues that could have all been avoided with a better structure and technology. Actually I think I would have enjoyed that job quite a bit if they could work out all of those kinks, I liked speaking to the customers and speaking to leadership was great too, I quit because their call center was an unorganized disaster that seemed to get worse over the 6 months I worked there. I had started dreading going to work each day until I finally decided not to work there. It's super unfortunate because they could be a great bank if they stopped using 20-year-old programs and email to complete tasks. 
The people there were great though. That is the only upside to working or banking with them.

There is no support from the manager. She only cares about looking good to higher management. She chooses her team leads based on how easily she can manipulate them. 

At least 9 team leads have either stepped down or quit. Although all have now been told that they cannot step down. If they do not like the job, which you are expected to do for 90 days without a raise, your option is to quit because no one is allowed to step down anymore. In the past 3 months we have lost about 10 employees (some whose last day is in a few days from Today 7/2/20, one gals last day IS Today). You would think headquarters in WA would take notice; or the manager would take a good look at herself and try to figure out why the high turnover. Instead she has the mentality that "we are weeding out the bad" when in reality there have been multiple excellent employees leaving. She has gone as far as telling employees not to announce that they are quitting or else they will be made to leave sooner than their 2 weeks. 

Most available positions at a different desk are pre-selected and opportunity for others to apply is not provided to all. it's also not about whether or not you can do the job but rather is you are well liked. "It's not what you know, but who you know." 

Oh don't let me forget, if you are "cute" you will go places. The manager walks around only greeting the people she likes. The rest of us are invisible to her.

If you have a fundraiser that is not ALS don't even bother bringing it up because she takes over the entire year with her ALS fundraising and says we cannot have multiple fundraisers going on. 

Also, don't trust anyone. Especially management. Anything you say to them will be talked about with the other team leads. Especially anything you say to the manager. Nothing is confidential - ever.

Overall, the benefits are good but the work ethic is terrible. Moral is down - always. The majority of the employees have been looking for a new job. COVID-19 has definitely put a halt to those of us looking to leave. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to be employed during this pandemic, but I cannot lie about how awful it is to still be here. 

The CEO seems like a nice guy who apparently reads all reviews. Maybe he will read this review and do something about it.

I enjoyed working at WaFd on a day to day basis. Work life balance was good, most teams are very kind and optimistic, and there are some incredibly knowledgeable people there. 

Unfortunately, executive leadership is not as great as lower level leadership and everyone pays for that. Under Beardall’s leaderships- there were EXTEME layoffs many year of the years I worked there, consistent compliance and regulatory issues, multiple critiques from economists about controversial leadership decisions, etc. Some of this is kind of par for the course in the industry- but some of it is bad leadership. This is almost never directly addressed. Every annual meeting is very positive and they skirt around hard content matter like those lower in the company aren’t smart enough to know that’s what is happening. 

When layoffs happen, they are impersonal. You can be there for 30 years, login to an email letting you go, and suddenly find that you’re out of the company you gave your life to without so much as an email. They say they are a bank with heart, but they are definitely just a bank like everywhere else. You don’t matter. No one is safe. So go where you’ll make the best money. 

Another con is dated technology, products that don’t compete well in the market (definitely wouldn’t take a sales related role), etc. Mortgages are okay. Residential mortgages were unique and a decent product but they quit doing them. Commercial could be good. Credit cards, apps, deposit accounts, etc. are a mess. Most staff members won’t bank there which says a lot. 

The job itself was great but the job security is non existent and they are struggling to stay relevant. Most people working there are wonderful so that’s a plus… but you’re so expendable I’d definitely go with the company that will pay you the most. You may not be here that long. 

The overall work culture was poor, with minimal support from management regarding professional growth and development. Compensation was below industry standards, which did not reflect the demands or responsibilities of the role.

Basic operational needs were often a struggle — acquiring essential equipment and supplies required excessive approval processes. For example, replacing outdated and low-resolution VGA monitors became an uphill battle, as such requests were scrutinized for being "wasteful," even when justified by practical needs. Many decisions were hindered by an overemphasis on cutting costs at the expense of functionality and staff well-being.

The workplace often operated with skeleton crews, leading to situations where employees could not take proper breaks or lunches, especially during peak hours when clients needed assistance with more complex transactions. This not only impacted employee morale but also the quality of service provided to clients.

In some cases, physical working conditions were concerning. Certain branches experienced pest control issues that were poorly addressed. Even small things like ordering coffee supplies for clients required managerial approval, highlighting a micromanagement style that eroded trust and autonomy.

Overall, I would not recommend this workplace to others unless significant structural and cultural changes are made. Employees deserve to feel supported, equipped, and respected — unfortunately, that was not my experience here.

When I started this job, I knew I wouldn't last more than two years here. Such few employees for the volume of calls with no help from management. They want you to reach out to leadership for everything if you aren't sure about something, but rarely are they any help, and are often on your own for challenging calls. 

The pay that you get for all the extra work that you have to do is not enough. Frequently, I found myself taking 10-20 extra things every time I would come in to work because, surprise surprise, the people who were supposed to do it didn't have time to get it done because they were pulled in to help the call queue when it got high. All of that on top of taking calls from customers because something wasn't working properly because IT can never make the mobile banking or the website work properly or because WAFD didn't do something they were supposed to do like pay the customers' property tax, etc. 

Upper management is unhelpful, and if you ask too many questions or make comments/concerns or try to help improve their system in any way, they will find some way to get rid of you. The only way to succeed is to keep your head down and act like you love the company and only leave positive reviews on your standouts each week. The standouts are a trap; don't put anything there if you wanna move up. 

And the cherry on top is that there is absolutely no work life balance at this job because they never hire anyone to take the spots that were left when people inevitably leave this terrible company for numerous reasons. They're so stingy with money when they brag about making millions and millions a year that they can't ever have a full staff, and it's sincerely miserable. 

Work-life balance
This is a great place to work if you are willing to work long hours and not do much else. There was always a lot of work to do and not enough time to finish it before the due dates.  The teams are under staffed, so there were multiple times where you would be pulled from your role to help on a project for some other team and then come back to a mountain of outstanding cases that needed to be completed quickly as possible with the same quality as when you initially had the time.  Working 10 or more hours a day and having assignments due on the weekends isn't uncommon. The leadership won't force you to work those hours but will be sure to let you know how they feel if you don't.

Pay & benefits
The pay is good and so is the insurance.  The vacation policy is a joke  and will force you to take five work days in a row off, which makes planning anything outside of a massive trip very hard.

Job security and advancement
Job security is alright, if you can put up with all of the problems.

Management
The management policies and goals were disconnected from the reality on the work floor and feedback never really seemed to go anywhere.

Culture
There is a horrible working relationship with the BSA / FIU and the rest of the operations side of the bank.  There were fights about salaries, rumors being spread about people and a general dislike that is not common at most financial institutions.

Overall
If you can handle the hours and the environment, go for it.  If you want a place with a work life balance, keep looking.

You literally are not aloud to bring things to do/ read. They frown upon co workers talking. There is very little work for tellers to do so in between customers (which is around four to six a day) you literally just sit in the silence doing nothing. Staring at a wall. They encourage you to do all of your computer training at the beginning of employment and then get mad at you for finishing it all because they have no tasks to give you. Management has favorites and is a joke. They make the work environment very hostile and toxic. Not to forget they are very homophobic and talk about lgbqt customers after they leave and about “how distugsring they are”. Being promoted is all about favoritism and not who can do the job best. The training manager is uneducated and not ready to be in their position as they were promoted prematurely out of desperation, so be prepared to not learn everything and be thrown into confusing situations or to be publicly embarrassed in front of the customers. The schedule is really nice. You’ll get weekends off and usually off on time. If you have a client who won’t leave you’ll have to stay 30-60 minutes later than normal time, so hopefully you have no kids. They won’t let you go if a client is still in the building, and they won’t let you call your childcare. Other than that, they are pretty good with accommodating days off (as long as it’s well in advance - don’t try to go home with a medical emergency if the bank manager is not in the building they will not let you go).

A typical day includes not only the basic job duties of processing transactions, but employees are expected to actively market since the company doesn't want to spend the money. Management are nice folks, but they're desperate. People get promoted because there is no one else to fill positions, not because of qualifications. It's hard to tout how great the bank you work for to prospects if you know you're lying. There are basically zero employee incentives to even fully use Washington Federal as your primary bank. One of the bartenders at the Christmas party made the comment that only one or two people paid with a debit or credit card from where they work.. That's sad. Because it's not super high-pressure sales environment and you get to genuinely care about clients, it is a nice place to work, but it's a greedy company. I've been there for a year and catch mistakes that supervisors in other branches make and make cold calls to businesses to solicit their banking to us, and random other tasks that aren't listed in my job description.

I am responsible for providing high quality service to branch
customers by assisting in the administration of all branch
business including deposit operations, supervision, personnel
related issues, scheduling, staff training, compliance, security,
daily work flow, monitoring customer service, pursue
profitable business, and loan activity. I also assume
responsibility of the branch as needed in the absence of the
manager. All of these responsibilities were met in a efficient and timely matter along with a rise in auditing scores from below average when I was hired to above average within a year's time. I have been in the banking industry for over 10 years and have enjoyed it immensely but the banking environment has changed, especially in the last 4 years. I highly enjoy helping a customer with what they need and want while promoting my company in a positive way. Banking has pulled away from that concept too much for me.

Open up the branch by preparing the appearance of the office, early staff meeting to review where we are in deposits and loans for the month and week reminding the team where we need to be. Talk about marketing efforts and successes from the previous day. Quickly review deadlines for the day and week. Attend Managers meetings and conference calls and relay them to the staff. Follow up on all perspective loan file, communicate with my underwriter and Division Manager on a daily basis.
Keeping employees records and reviews, hiring and firing, recommending promotions of employees.
Staying current with audit and compliance requirements by random review of procedures. Outside marketing with our local community to obtain additional business and networking opportunities. Keeping all my material current and in order to create additional marketing materials. Attend Gresham and Troutdale Chamber AM meeting, Rotary, Tours with local Realtors, Open Houses and Expo Exhibits.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Customer service representative 535 salaries reported	$19.50 per hour
Personal banker 523 salaries reported	$25.02 per hour
Branch manager 182 salaries reported	$80,500 per year
Business banking relationship manager 91 salaries reported	$103,068 per year
Credit analyst 30 salaries reported	$33.22 per hour

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