Control Risks Reviews

Pros

Nature of the work, work life balance and areas for HR to develop

Cons

Moving from a small to medium company in culture

Pros

Nature of the work is always interesting, we're at the forefront of any crisis/news/business situation all the time
Job benefits are not too bad
Work life balance

Cons

Senior management seem blind to their subordinate's misdoings - not very qualified for the job
HR support and as a feedback channel is not present in every country
Learning and professional development is tough because managers care about themselves and how they appear in front of senior management

Advice to Senior Management

They should send their managers for some basic management classes

Pros

Fun company, very interesting, intriguing work. Each day will bring something different and there is potential for working across many regions to improve international experience. The people are great and their backgrounds and educations are excellent.

Cons

There are growth opportunities for select individuals, but for the majority the potential for a career is limited.

Advice to Senior Management

N/A

Pros

If you have an attitude that you are going to prove yourself and are not an introverted, timid person this is the place for you. Big personalities and an eagerness to succeed are the keys to success here.

Cons

It is easy to underperform and you aren't always warned of when that is happening. Communicate with your direct management regularly to avoid.

Advice to Senior Management

Attract top talent with top salaries and develop more from within. I enjoyed my time at CR and generally find that those that are complaining are sensitive little babies.

Pros

Unique mix of staff in terms of nationalities, backgrounds and professional interests.
Expert management team at the corporate level.
Strong brand recognition and client base.

Cons

Mix of services make it difficult to have a credible value proposition to clients.
Very London based decisions and processes.
Compensation package below market standards.

Advice to Senior Management

Stronger investment in developing leadership skills to make sure top positions are filled internally.
Better training programs beyond initial induction and first specialized sessions.

Pros

A global reach company with some talent at grass roots level. unfortunately there is an old boys club mentality operating cliques within the organization.

Cons

Dreadful employee employer relationships, inflexibility of senior management and too much sub contracting mean that clients are being charged 'Control Risks' prices for local sub contracted work.

Advice to Senior Management

listen to those at the operational sharp end and keep the outdated MBA speak to a minimum. Do not over promote those who pay lip service to your face but are carrying a very sharp knfie behind you.

Pros

Global Company
Workplace recognition
US footprint

Cons

Poor management, lack of communication
Employee morale

Advice to Senior Management

COMMUNICATION and fairplay- worklife balance, respect for ideas and enthusiasm

Pros

The work is often interesting and you get to work with interesting and intelligent colleagues from all sorts of backgrounds. Lots of travel opportunities and generally decent working hours and work/life balance. Can be a good place to start out for a couple of years if you're interested in security and international affairs.

Cons

Uncompetitive salaries and really terrible management with limited vision. Pay and promotions seem to be arbitrary, not based on performance or merit. Good performance tends to get rewarded with a pat on the back but not remuneration or promotion. Career development is limited. There's a huge churn rate - most talented people don't stay more than two or three years.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in your people and give the talented ones incentives to stay. Offer them career development opportunities and make pay/promotion structures more transparent.