- Lack of full disclosure in the interview process: I came from Big 4s. I really liked the work I did but did not want to travel. When I interviewed with Slalom, I was quoted that "90% of the projects were team based and 10% was staff aug"). After I joined Slalom, I realized that it was actually the reverse. Maybe 5% of their projects are team based. I also was told that I would be "local" and most of their projects were downtown which also was not true. I understand that they are trying to cater to a different kind of market - role based vs. project based and it makes sense for their size and goals (local consulting). What I did not appreciate was being presented with incorrect facts. Had I known this up front, I would not have accepted the role with Slalom as I did not want to do staff aug work or be stuck in a car for several hours a day. I would rather fly.
- Travel to burbs: Although Slalom advertises no travel, they are not open about the fact that no travel by plane doesn’t mean no travel by car. Most of the time I was at Slalom, my client was anywhere from 1.5-2 hrs drive away and that is just one way. So even though I worked only 40-45 hrs a week, I spent 15 hrs a week just commuting in my car to the suburbs. I can take driving couple of hours in total on any given day, anything over that is frustrating and physically exhausting.
- Staff Aug Roles: I jumped from client to client on roles which I had no interest in and which did not align with my skill sets at all. The onus is always on the consultant to grow his/her role rather than on the CSL or CSP to sell the appropriate role. I have had numerous conversations with my People Manager and other leaders at Slalom on this but no action was taken about it. On the flip side, once the clients saw what I was capable of, they always gave me better roles and raving reviews. But I always had to wait for a few months every time to prove myself. You know a place is not for you when the client recognizes your potential but your own firm doesn’t or when the client tells you to join them instead.
- Career Progression: You definitely have to be part of the in-crowd to get promoted. This firm definitely values firm initiatives more than client work. I have seen individuals who were rolled off the client due to performance issues but who did organize a lot of happy hours get promoted. There is no clear definition on what the next level is or how to get promoted to it.
- Leadership: Finally, I have found very few true leaders at this firm. A lot of them are resource managers with fancy titles. But very few whom you can look up to and see this is the guy/gal I want to be in 10 years. I worked at Slalom for about 3 years and I have had several conversations on all the above with my People Manager and leaders at my office. I was ready to compromise on some of them. But disappointingly, I did not have one single leader follow up with me on any of my conversations which just showed me the value they placed on me. It was like the conversations never happened.
Many consultants in Slalom feel the same way from conversations I have had with them. They either decide to suck it up and be miserable or leave the company and go somewhere else.
