Hanover Research reviews

3.6

66% would recommend to a friend

(320 total reviews)
avatar

Wes Givens

54% approve of CEO

44% positive business outlook

Hanover Research has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 320 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Hanover Research employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

320 reviews
3.0
Jun 19, 2019

Good Launching Pad for Analysts/Entry-Level, Beware to Experienced Candidates

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Let me start by saying that I valued my three years at Hanover, primarily the relationships established with both co-workers, as well as clients, which have continued beyond the job. For those who are fresh out of college or still new to the market research industry, Hanover is an adequate launching career launching pad, where you will get exposure to various tools and methodologies as well as a variety of clients who operate across a myriad of industries or academia depending on the coverage area you are looking at (corporate or education research). For those who are coming in as experienced hires, the pros are fewer to none depending on where you’re coming from. However, it may be an optimal change of scenery if you are coming from a separate industry or a specific vertical-focused role, and are looking to pivot your career deeper into market research with Hanover acting as your pit-stop. Given this, I am still recommending and referring those looking to start or change their career path, but am hesitant to do so for those looking to further their career in market research.

Cons

On the other hand, there are quite a few areas of concern and red flags at Hanover that you should be aware of before taking that interview or accepting an offer (especially if you are an experienced hire, and even more so if you are coming from another market research firm): 1. Culture – As others have mentioned, the people support is lacking, and this results in an overall "cog-the-wheel mentality" among a lot of people. HR seems to be more concerned about replying to Glassdoor reviews than engaging with employees on the lower floors i.e. it’s common to never see someone from HR proactively engage between your first week and your exit interview. Furthermore, internal politics are noticeable, with many recent promotions & role changes across departments where no internal interview rounds are done resulting in people being overlooked who are more qualified. Favoritism also rears its head in an organizational manner, where at times it’s perceived that sales/revenue is held in a higher regard. Last, Hanover likes to call itself an AMA Top 50 MR firm as has been noted from their replies here, however, be aware this list is purely based on reported revenue as the company does not have an organizational membership with any of the leading industry associations, let alone a presence in the industry (which has resulted in misconceptions & brand confusion). 2. Leadership – A majority of the upper management do not have backgrounds or education in market research and/or they have been at Hanover the majority of their career which leads to a very myopic view of the industry at large (since the company as a whole is not engaged in the industry). For experienced hires coming from other market research firms, this should come as a glaring red flag and is something I regret not doing my homework on. Not only this, but the upper management team tends to ignore or write-off feedback from those not directly below them and insulates themselves from the actual people who are on the frontlines. A perfect example is right here on Glassdoor, where the Chief Content Officer replied, “I must confess to being baffled by some of the issues you mention.” Vision from leadership also tends to change as frequently as the organizational structure, and is not always clear; this can also be said in how this translates into the products and services being developed, which can be DOA given those developing the products are not experienced in the industry or with the types of clients they are developing the products for (and disregard feedback from those who have experience in these exact initiatives). 3. Benefits – While the healthcare benefits are on par with other consulting or market research firms of similar size, the 401(k) is severely lacking not only it’s matching (2%), but also in the overall fund portfolio diversity. You’ll get better returns from an IRA, independent index-fund, or high-yield savings account outside of Hanover. Bonus potential wise, continued reforms to payout less are on a downward trajectory for those on the research side compared to those in sales/revenue, and at times do not align with industry standard bonus structures for researchers, so be prepared to depend more on your base salary. Raises in comp typically only come with promotions, and for those coming in as an experienced hire, you could end up waiting 2-3+ years to only see a raise that is equivalent to a COLA bump. 4. Professional Development – While Hanover has made improvements in this area (creating more focused L&D modules and pathways for analysts/entry-level), they still have a long way to go, especially for experienced hires who have mastered many of the tools and methodologies involved with the work. Currently there isn’t much for experienced hires, as Hanover is typically hesitant to invest in higher cost development that comes with experienced professionals i.e. industry conferences, skilled training in advanced methodologies from outside sources (there is no education reimbursement like many other firms), etc.

5.0
Jan 15, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I have been at Hanover for almost four years and am quite happy. While no firm is perfect, Hanover does a lot to keep its employees happy and engaged. I'm in a sales role and am often contacted by recruiters - whom I talk to - but there are a few reasons why I prefer a sales role at Hanover to the other opportunities that have been presented to me: 1. Customers are very happy with the product. This is of course a non-negotiable for me - I wouldn't be willing to sell a service/product that I did not believe was in my prospect's best interest, but it is exciting to hear from accounts that I have closed about the value that Hanover is providing them, and that they are referring our services to other prospective customers within their network. 2. It's a highly consultative sale which keeps things interesting. With Hanover's custom research model, I can't think of a type of sale that can get any more consultative than this. I talk with prospects about their challenges and explore how research projects can identify new solutions. Every conversation is different. I think I might get bored or frustrated selling software or syndicated research - trying to fit a square peg in a round hole by reframing a prospect's challenges in attempt to match them with the proposed solution or product. 3. I can serve as a consultative thought-partner and valuable resource. Even if a prospect does not end up engaging in a contract, they find tremendous value in the discussion from the market insight I can provide (from talking with numerous peers in the market on a constant basis) and the research reports that I send as follow-up. 4. Competitive compensation. Obviously we are all working to make money, and Hanover has competitive commission plans that reward top performers. ------ There are also some other things I like about Hanover that are not specifically related to a sales role: 1. Company culture - I have met some of my closest friends at Hanover. Sometimes I think "I can't leave because I would miss my coworkers too much!" 2. Exec team is listening to employees now more than ever. We are frequently asked for feedback on changes before and after they take place. 3. Upward mobility - they are always thinking about your next step and how to help you get there. They prefer to promote from within. On a last note - Hanover was my first job I applied to out of college - and sometimes I think to myself "I'm so lucky I landed this" because of how far I have been able to go at the company with the right level of focus, hard work, and ambition.

Cons

Cubicle setting even for jobs that require employees to be on the phone all day (requires employees to reserve call rooms several times per day which can be very disruptive). Location in Ballston. 401k matching plan is pretty average (2% which takes 4 years to fully vest). I would love more frequent lunch catering :-)

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Hanover Research Response
10y
Thank you for your feedback. I understand your frustration with reserving call rooms but we hope the open plan office allows for more collaboration and informal knowledge sharing between co-workers. Offices can be very isolating. I appreciate your other suggestions as well and am glad to hear you find your work meaningful and are happy.
2.0
Oct 24, 2015

BD Director Review

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

During my time at Hanover I really enjoyed it. My team was full of very smart, very motivated people that created a fun and competitive atmosphere. The office space we had on K Street in downtown DC was an amazing location and one that made it very easy to commute to. When we moved to Ballston, it made it difficult for many of my colleagues commuting but it was still a very nice space and a decent location.

Cons

There aren't numerous cons but I feel the ones they have are glaring and should be considered by anyone potentially joining the firm. First, during my year with the company I saw the CEO just one time. Now if the company was 1000 people, I would consider that understandable but at a headcount of 300, I considered this unacceptable. I was brought on in a more senior role and expected, at the very least, some interaction with him but literally didn't speak a word to him and couldn't pick him out of a lineup to this day. The oddest thing I found was that during our year end, "state of the company" meeting he did not say a single word, just sat there. Now, I try and stay out of office gossip because I think its a drain on productivity and morale but everyone was talking about this and it seemed like from my peers, a lot of people were looking to make moves outside of the company because of this lack of leadership. The other major con with the company was how their sales operations and leadership was set up. I would say the managing directors across our verticals were excellent. They garnered a lot of respect and literally payed their dues to get their jobs. The problem was their superiors because they were getting directives and targets that were constantly changing. This scenario made me rethink my employment with the firm. Having been a career salesperson, who's carried a $2.5mn quota , prior to joining, this constant moving of the goalposts made it very difficult to keep your team motivated because your assistants (DA's as they term them) were essentially getting paid less for more work and I as the leader of the team couldn't provide a real reason for this aside from "Well we've had a little turnover so we all have to pick up the slack". Having run sales teams before, to me, this was total BS and I think (though I've never confirmed this) we had these moving targets is due to leadership trying to sell the company and cash out. Thats the only reason in my experience, organizations continually increase targets QoQ and cut costs.

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Hanover Research Response
10y
Thank you for your feedback about your time at Hanover Research. Our recent appointment of Wes Givens as Hanover's new CEO was made in part by our awareness that the company and its employees crave a more visible CEO presence. In addition to his appointment, we have also added more avenues for all employees to engage directly with him either in person at his coffee meetings or virtually through the CEO suggestion box. Thank you again for sharing your experience.
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Glassdoor has 332 Hanover Research reviews submitted anonymously by Hanover Research employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Hanover Research is right for you.