Hanover Research reviews

Hanover as a whole is mismanaged in that nearly every top manager has been nowhere else but Hanover. Best practices are nowhere to be found because most employees don't have an idea of how things are done at other businesses. This leads to most managers being inflexible. For this specific role, do not join the development team unless you are sure that you want to be in sales. If this is the case, you can learn a lot and advance quickly. Most people, however, join Hanover just out of college because they need a job and have heard that Hanover is a "fun, young" place. The role is repetitive at best and mind-numbing and soul-crushing at worst. There are some fantastic directors and support for the team who want to see everyone succeed and do well. I imagine it is hard for them to see the place that used to be an invigorating and exciting environment turn into an incredibly depressing place to go every morning. Goals and strategies don't seem to have changed despite evidence that potential new clients are not biting like they used to. Managers seem baffled as to why the same strategies they used 8 years ago aren't working. Employees essentially "work harder/longer, not smarter", but this does seem to be changing with the help of the development support team. Since leaving Hanover, my life has improved in every aspect - obviously job satisfaction, but also general stress and mental health. Working towards often unrealistic goals and constantly cold-calling is incredibly stressful if you don't feel as if you're furthering your career, which most people on the team don't.

The culture at Hanover is frustrating. Researchers are given 5 days to complete projects (usually long form reports) and are almost always scrambling for time. Salaries are low and there are no bonuses or overtime compensation for employees who work late in research, even though working late is often necessary to meet deadlines. The 5-day project cycle wouldn't be as difficult if researchers' daily activities were more varied; A typical work day for researchers involves working independently on the same project for most of the day and maybe attending one or two meetings. I found it difficult to complete the work within the time constraints in this setting, as it is difficult to focus on a single task for the entire work day. The research floor is literally like a library and researchers have to create opportunities for social interaction. The time pressure and independent work environment would be less problematic if Hanover paid researchers higher salaries. Research salaries are not competitive with other firms in the industry and barely cover the high cost of living in DC. As a result, I found myself frequently exhausted, working late to finish projects, and not making enough to cover basic living expenses. Needless to say, it was a highly stressful environment. Employees jokingly liken Hanover to a research factory, which is not an inaccurate description of the business model.