Limited Opportunities, Toxic Culture, Below Market Pay
Pros
A cohort of the senior leadership represents BRG well. They are ambitious and hard-working but respectful above all else. It's hard to discern who this is in advance, but I recommend any staff - junior or senior - identify these folks. They can seriously advance your careers. Technical staff are incredibly well-trained. I am consistently impressed by the knowledge my colleagues possess. This isn't limited to senior members either. Junior staff are willing to work hard and learn. If you're respectful, you can leverage these skills to your advantage. If you work for the right team, you will be able to apply your expertise.
Cons
BRG has attempted to address the pay issue. In July 2021, there were raises across the board. But frankly, we're still compensated much lower than competitors. For peers in my position at other firms, I'm making approximately 20% less. I have entertained multiple offers over the last six months. There are huge bottlenecks in hiring. Junior and senior talent acquisition has underperformed substantially. Much of this falls on the shoulders of MDs who want to squeeze every penny out of their staff. As you can expect, this prompts unnecessary turnover. It's unclear why they're willing to hire more staff to meet their demands. Revenue/profit are at historic highs. While internal promotions are possible, if you work for someone who "claims" you and that doesn't suit your skills, you are at a serious disadvantage. It's nigh impossible to leave that team. Outside of that, several senior members have struggled to attract new business for themselves. It's surprising how many MDs don't have a reliable book of business. They need to pursue more BD options and engage in publishing materials that actually matter. "Lifers" are most frequently promoted. The fact is that they don't have good outside opportunities. They would never get promoted at CRA, AG, Bates, NERA, etc. It's frustrating to watch micromanagers succeed that lack the soft skills necessary to make a name for yourself. While some members of leadership are great, others promote a toxic culture. I've seen and heard reports of senior staff intentionally belittling their team. I have also seen some seriously unprofessional stuff. For a newsworthy incident, please type in "Acting Secretary of Homeland Security" into your nearest search engine. We also had on staff someone who worked to overturn the 2020 election results. We fired a sizable portion of our junior staff in the early stages of the pandemic, even though we had no revenue concerns at the time. It was purely preemptive. I was appalled by this decision. HR is powerless to do much as the CEO and President have permitted such activities because these folks bring in revenue. Do not ignore this statement. If you find yourself on a toxic team, it won't get better. No one will intervene on your behalf. They will privately express their frustration but there is no one willing to stick their neck out. These issues collectively prompt serious turnover. We've lost incredibly talented senior staff and bleed junior staff like its nobody's business.
