I would be very cautious of the true identity behind those who write reviews on here which say "ignore the negative feedback." GLG's rate of turnover is unbelievable and for the first time in a long time, it is now impacting some of the highest performers which is going to have a huge impact on its ability to keep and grow its client book. There are so many reasons behind this but the main ones from my many years of service are:
1. No development. If you want to learn real, tangible skills which will stand the test of time in the real world be weary of GLG. As a junior professional your job is going to resemble that of a call centre and you'll struggle to find any self drive after a couple of months in the job. Sadly, the outlook doesn't get better as you become client facing; you do the same mind-numbing process for clients. You will never advise clients or analyze anything more than an email, you're a pen pusher. At its core, the nature of working at an expert network firm means you learn no hard skills that you need in an actual rewarding job. Any learning you experience will plateau within a couple of years- despite all the rhetoric you'll hear from lifers (I should know because I used to be one of them for a long time). The average span of an employee is a couple of years at best. Staying in GLG kills your ambition and many senior managers have been known to spread fear that you won't find a better job. And while that toxic culture succeeds too often, the truth is the complete opposite.
2. Demoralizing and appalling management. The majority of those in charge of guiding careers couldn’t be trusted to organize prosecco for a bachelorette party. You are valued and rewarded as a good people manager if you fall into line and deliver the company jargon and latest cobbled together initiative to your subordinates. Independent thinkers need no apply. It was difficult to watch talented friends attempt to climb the ladder by serving as lapdogs to blind sheep. I and others have experienced bullying, manipulative and aggressive management behaviour which has led to multiple departures of talented professionals in certain teams. Despite our complaints these segment and senior leaders are still in their roles. In fact, some now manage more people!
3. Out of date “leadership.” The senior management in London and elsewhere are made up of the same lifers who caused the current crisis of morale in the first place. For example, the management in London stood by and endorsed new structures which took the last bit of life and entrepreneurship out of the day to day job. These same people are being trusted to put out the fires and build a new house. The CTO’s endless spam initiatives (otherwise known as AI) has damaged GLG’s most import asset: its relationship with the expert consultants. Guess who's in charge of undoing all the damage and starting fresh? You guessed it. These robotic tasks have demoralized the depleting number who go to work with a purpose each day.
There is zero follower-ship of the leadership team. If they practiced what they preached in terms of self awareness they would have dusted off their CVs and be on their way. However, the ability to delegate, talk for days on end in internal meetings and all the time while receiving a cushy salary is just too strong a pull. I worked with many younger people who were in their 20s and after a year or two in their roles had demonstrated more worth than senior management. That’s because management live in a revolving door of gossip and drowning the next layer of professionals in gallons of Kool-Aid. That's how GLG measure success. Groupthink at GLG is off the charts and when you quantify the value which a lot of the management bring you realise you're in the Medieval Ages.
4. A compulsive internal disorder. GLG are obsessed with everything and anything internal. They have lost so much talent in the last number of years (and a lot more to follow in the next 12 months) because former McKinsey folk are attempting to turn talented, enthusiastic individuals into monkeys pressing buttons and achieving pointless metrics. The huge turnover in recent years can also be directly attributable to this. This is known at the very top of GLG but again, no one has being fired. However if you miss your metrics be prepared to be caught in the crossfire. GLG has lost complete sight of the people who pay them and my fear is that clients are going to soon feel that wrath as top performers discover their wings and take flight. The new CEO seems to have a vision for what he wants to change but a year later his world tour of "town halls" seems more like an attempt to mirror a Bruce Springtsteen concert (and it comes with a similar price tag). Why won't he clear the deck and bring in new leadership in EMEA and the US?
