Pay & Bonus Structure
- CapTech implemented cost saving structures that hurt employee compensation but were framed as ‘driving client focus or flexibility’.
- Base pay increases were stagnant regardless of performance
- Bonus structure changed from an almost guaranteed performance based bonus to utilization % only bonus 2x a year for Managers & below. If you aren’t billable for about 1 month in that 6 month window due to contract dates shifting, or being held for a project that then gets cancelled, it’s nearly impossible to get the same bonus as the prior structure unless you take no PTO or work tons of extra hours (which some contracts don’t allow). The senior managers and above have a different bonus structure, so they don’t care if a contract gets pushed, as long as that work gets sold. That timing may be the difference for you in bonus or no bonus, entirely out of your control.
Layoffs & Bench Time
- Bench time & “upcoming pipeline” have increasingly become the sole reason for a layoff. Unfortunately, if CapTech can’t sell work in a particular area, even if you are a high performer, you may get laid off. I saw people on the bench for 6 months, and some after 30 days get the same messaging and are out of a job. Sometimes it’s a firm layoff, sometimes they give you two weeks to ‘find a project’ even though their staffing team should be doing that for you (which they will tell you over and over again).
Company Financials & Staffing Mismanagement
- CapTech goes through phases of winning large projects, hiring people and allowing expenses to come back, to contracts cut or clients ending early, laying off a ton of people, and cutting discretionary spend. They can’t seem to figure out how to keep a stable amount of projects or people, and billable employees are the ones who suffer. They base their financials on if their employees are 80-90% billable, but year over year they’re more in the 70-80% billable range partly due to staffing and contract length.
Low Promotion & Internal initiatives
- If you want to get promoted, you have to lead and engage in internal initiatives (Business Development, ERG leadership, Account Management or Portfolio support). This is because the promotion deciders aren’t typically going to be on your same project, so to remain visible you need to support internal work with leadership. Unfortunately, this creates an environment where if you produce amazing client work, even if you are recognized, it won’t be enough for promotion (which every cycle they reiterate that it’s going to be a slim group awarded). The kicker is that there is no monetary incentive for internal work for managers and below, so you essentially have two jobs, one to get on a stable project and put your hours in, bonus dependent on hours and not performance, and then a second internal job, solely based on your upcoming promotion goals.
- Time at level constraints were implemented a few years back, making it harder to fast track any high performer for promotion. This has led to high performers leaving the company.
