Booz Allen Hamilton Reviews in McLean, VA

Pros

Excellent benefits (e,g, PTO, S/LTD, Insurance, etc.). Great work-life balance for junior staff (Associate and below). Very thorough employee assessment process. Many opportunities for career mobility across the firm. Excellet training programs both internally and externally with tuition assistance. Most senior leaders (Sr. Associate and above) are very approachable.

Cons

While there is emphasis on having a strong functional expertise, marketing & business development trumps all else as a way to get promoted in this organization. For example, even if you are an EXCELLENT Cost Estimator who is consistently expanding the capability for the organization, you will not be promoted to Lead Associate or above unless you work (lead, write, etc) proposals and ultimately position yourself as a "Market Lead" to make Sr. Associate. Essentially there are few, if any (I don't know everyone in the firm) "functional promotions" where you can become a Functional Manager, such as the Lead Cost Estimator for the cost estimators in a market (for example). Rather, in order to promote to the level if Lead Associate or above, you will need to lead diverse teams - functionally speaking. Continuing the CE example, you may find yourself leading a team of Finance, Change Management, Project Management, etc. staff. If what you are looking for is a broad, market-based, leadership role, this is the place for you. If you want to grow BOTH functionally AND as a leader within that capability, this is not the place for you past the Associate level.

Advice to Senior Management

1) Consider separate management tracks - market leads and functional leads. 2) Create a Market & Business Development organization that utilizes your client-facing staff exclusively for subject matter expertise contributions to MBD efforts.

Pros

There are some quality people who care about their clients and their co-workers. The PTO is good and the salaries are ok. The ECAP (401K) plan is OUTSTANDING...far better than any other company I've seen. Depending on the team you're on, flex time is good and some of the management team understands team dynamics and strives to get the best from everyone. Work/life balance is good until you step into the upper ranks - life as a Sr Associate and Principal becomes a work-work balance.

Cons

Specific issues are the new minimum 42 hours of billable work for your client THEN do your proposal, marketing and admin work on top. I've watched many of my peers and team members look upon Sunday as another workday to get everything accomplished.

Also, the late winter of 2012 purge was handled poorly. Since the senior leadership/partners enacted the PR campaign of touting "Ralph's Bold Plan" was going to be good for the company - the company has seen their stock tumble almost 18%, and many of the Principals and Sr Associates who survived the purge are simply buying time to collect their annual bonus - then they will leave. Supposedly the firm "predicted" this and as such are poised to pay out larger than normal bonus to the managers in an attempt to retain...however, they will find they are pouring money into people who are leaving.

The recent federal ruling and loss of the large IDIQ contracts (SURVIAC/IATAC) means BAH (and other large, previously entrenched in the DoD firms) will need to compete all their contracts against lean, agile small firms who don't have sky high multiples - a serious issue which must be quickly addressed. The senior leadership needs to revamp how it approaches the market, how it makes itself financially competitive, and return to the days of taking care of its people.

Advice to Senior Management

Take care of your people - be HONEST in how cuts are made, and will be made - be OPEN about the plan for the future and don't try to spin a bunch of "hogwash" (my grandmother's favorite phrase after "well, isn't that special"). Your employees WERE loyal and caring - and they are watching intently at how you handle the company and the current slump.

Pros

Good legacy to lean on with some hardworking employees trying to steer management into the right direction
Teleworking (if you are already acclimated to the culture). It'll require extra effort to connect with your team if you are new
Daycare facility in McLean campus
ECAP (it provides retirement funding even if you contribute 0%)
PTO (about 15-25 days depending on tenure)

Cons

The company had recent layoffs this spring (2012) to make its financial goals. How it handled the layoffs was chaotic and poorly executed.

Its current focus is on out-sourcing, cutting cost, and restructuring. As a result morale is at an all time low. Most are looking around for other opportunities and can not stomach some of management's cut throat decisions.

If you are a working mother, this may not be the most supportive place if you go on maternity leave.

Advice to Senior Management

Live up to your core values. Although some actions maybe legal, go beyond that and do what's right.

Pros

The pay is very competitive and the benefits are good. The workers (lead associate and below) are very good people to work with.

Cons

Resource management at BAH does not exist. All the layoffs taking place could be prevented. Current principal leve leadership does not know how to sell consulting services, leaving workers in jeopardy. Corporate leadership is starting to get stale. The board has been there too long and is not connected to its people.

Advice to Senior Management

Break apart Booz Allen, sell what is valuable, and let The Carlyle Group get its pound of flesh. Going public has allowed much overdue management practice changes to radically shift the way Booz treats its people.

Pros

Pay & benefits
Work-life balance
Junior employees are sharp and helpful
Occasionally interesting work

Cons

Biggest problem: the enormous amount of sitting around "on the bench" that often occurs because of lack of client work or fed bureaucrats not moving contracts quickly. Result: I've only had actual work for for about 1/3 of my time at this company, which is bad for my career development and a waste of tax dollars because that's what pays Booz. As an MBA, I expect to be challenged. That hasn't happened. I've seen a LOT of people at my level leave because they are very smart, very motivated, and this place wastes their time and talents.

Government consulting is a misnomer. It is NOT consulting. It is contracting out what the feds don't want to do or aren't staffed for. Booz has become a "butts in seats" place, where they just try to get you client site basically doing the same thing as a bureaucrat. And trying to help entrenched, unmotivated career bureaucrats make progress on important national issues is frustrating.

Management: Senior Associates usually SUCK, and they are the middle management you'll likely work for. Principals are usually good, but there's limited interaction because they're senior to the Senior Associates.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't hire people you don't have work for.
Work proactively with the feds to fix the absurd contracting system.
Hire and promote better senior associates.

Pros

At the start early 2000s:
-Excellent work environment
-Given opportunity to grow from consultant to senior associate learning as I grew and rewarded with good salary increases and a feeling of accomplishment I'd not had other places I'd worked.
-Learning opportunities and ability to move from one functional area to another, building on knowledge to better serve the firm, almost encouraged.
-Not an easy place to work, but a rewarding place to work.
-Pride in working for BAH

Cons

After going public:
-A not so subtle move that cash was king and people regardless of tenure and loyalty were expendable. The culture that made BAH unique to some began to vanish.
-Always a culture of cliques the cliques began to close in on themselves and internal movement was more difficult.
-Too much fear in the new culture.

Advice to Senior Management

Try to recapture the culture that made BAH unique before it slips away entirely. Show staff at all levels they are the company's most important asset. Without them there will be no BAH and no bottom line to guard.

Pros

Good benefits; wide variety of work; smart, educated, interesting colleagues

Cons

Booz Allen has gone way downhill and it's out of balance. More than ever, it is all about the numbers, billability and new business. GO Team objectives trump all. Functional expertise, strategic thinking, and client service -- the art of consulting -- risk being devalued as a result. This will hurt the long-term, institutional stature and brand strength of the firm. Now that LOW letters get issued on a strict time frame, without asking if an employee about to be sacked might be able to contribute to the firm in ways that more than pay for the cost of an extra few weeks of billability, the real strength of the firm -- it's people -- the Innovation, creativity, and taking the time fully to think through and look "around the corner" at a client problem are less important than immediate revenue gratification, quarter-by-quarter. Management communication to staff is full of spin about work-life balance and core values, but really, it's all about the numbers. Booz Allen used to have a higher risk tolerance. It made strategic and longer-term investments to develop new service offerings based on the application of cutting-edge technology and management science to the operational challenges facing government. Not so much anymore. Brand strength will suffer in the long term because of all these things. But, of course, by then key insider shareholders will have already cashed, so who really cares?

Advice to Senior Management

Restore the balance and think about the long-term reputation of the institution a bit more. It, and not the size of your estate, will be your true legacy.

Pros

Opportunity
Peers
Flexibility
Training
Hands-on, high energy
challenging situations

Cons

Cutthroat environment in some locations
Salary
In consistent management feedback

Advice to Senior Management

Need Consistency in Management team, eliminate politics and favoritism

Pros

Good brand value (for now)
Very good about taking time off
No face time requirement
Acceptable benefits package
Some teams have strong collaborative team environment (varies across teams)

Cons

Differentiated pay scale creates discord among employees.
Feeling of distrust associated with layoffs
Lack of information/disinformation from management. The recent firing wave was used as a messaging opportunity to both reassure employees, while also quashing anyones hopes for a raise or a promotion.
Growth based culture is coming apart at the seams in the current low growth environment. In the past, the firm's growth generated oppiortunites that enabled hard work to be rewarded. This growth drove career development opportunities and experiences. Without the growth, career development and opportunity has disappeared for the junior staff, who are growing increasingly frustrated at paying dues into a company with no opportunity for payback. Because of this, the natives are growing restless.

Advice to Senior Management

more honesty, integrity, and core values
less hypocracy and dishonesty

Pros

Booz Allen offers some of the best people with the best work I've had the privilege of being involved with. It's reputation has been historically rock solid in the government sector and the benefits are very competitive. The projects/programs that are typically taken on are more selective than other consulting firms, which means that staff are generally offered challenging and interesting work, not "hired butts in seats" (or "TS cleared butts in seats"). The firm is very forward-leaning regarding internal collaboration platforms (hello.bah.com and Yammer), which helps tie far-flung areas of the company together.

Cons

The cons have specifically come about in the past couple years. Specifically, since the move to take the company public and the subsequent fallout. Budgets are noticeable tighter for "niceties" like team socials, training, and other former perqs. "Lack of work" also seem to be more prevalent, meaning more folks are given the axe more quickly than ever. Quality staff without a project used to be given a lot more leeway, but now they're given two weeks to find something or else they're given the boot (like many other consulting firms in the area). On the other hand, perhaps it's just that I'm more cognizant of these individuals since the popularity of our internal social networking has grown. The ladder-climbing is much less of an issue to me. In fact, it's really no different than any other traditional company: sell your soul, move up the rungs of corporate success. If you're looking for "work-life balance," then you just need to find that balance and live with the consequences. If that means sacrificing a high-level and high-paying management position to build a quality marriage and raise healthy kids, then DO SO!

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest...about everything. If your team is struggling or a project/contract is in jeopardy, don't hold back that information in fear of good folks leaving. If the firm is tightening the purse strings and perqs like social outings and training is no longer an option, be up front about that. If a raise isn't in the cards because it would mean pulling someone off a contract, make that clear looong before assessment time. Staff are tired of hearing things third-hand or speculating on rumors for months without any confirmation/denial from management. You know, so let the rest of your staff know so we can all be on the same page.