The Siegfried Group Reviews

Pros

Money but this is only assuming you got in at the right time when the economy was good and starting salary was higher. It also assumes you are willing to travel to make travel bonuses.

Cons

Most assignments are not challenging and you slowly lose skills. You fill in for client needs during their busy times and a lot of the work is busy work. But There are exceptions I'm sure.

 You have to be willing to travel anywhere in the country for however long they need you. . . If you refuse, you will be fired sooner or later.

Don't give any honest feedback (even though they ask for it) because it will be held against you. If your job is important to keep, lie in any reviews and tell them what they want to hear or at least stay neutral and don't say anything negative or against the grain.

Management has 'optional' cocktail hours for employees monthly or even more frequently. Don't be fooled though. Even though they say they are not mandatory, they are. You will be seen as not a team player and your pay will be directly affected as the bonus system (which is a major part of your pay) is directly tied into reviews which are based partly on whether you attend these events.

The expected minimum chargeable hours has grown to 48 now. This is effectively a 6 day work week in 5 days. Don't meet the minimum and your pay is docked. Most of the time this isn't even in your control. Bill rates to the client are high compared to other contract firms like Robert half and the client does not have it in their budget to allow you to work that many hours (or simply does not have enough work for you). This doesn't change your 48 hr requirement though. Employees most of the time are forced to lie about how many hours they worked and hope the client doesn't pick up on it when they get their bill. Ts is easier to do if it's a big client.

The annual trip to las Vegas sounds awesome on paper but it's not. For any minimum expected client hours you miss due to travel to the LV or just being there, you have to make up by working longer hours at the client or it comes out of your bonus pay. So effectively you can't win. You either lose pay or spend more of your free time working to make up for lost time on a mandatory company retreat. Ands when you get there, you are not on vacation, there are mandatory morning all day meetings and minimal down time. And don't miss a meeting or youre digging your own grave.

Everyone in management is related it seems. Yes that is a stretch but it's nuts how many are. This creates all sorts or problems.

The clients word is all that matters. If they lie or don't have all the facts and rip you in a review (And trust me this happens to a lot of peolple which you would not expect but it does) your word means nothing. One more small strike and you are out. Keep in mind the caliber and experience of some of the clients giving the reviews. And a lot of times they use Siegfried employees as the fall guy when they screw up. This has happened countless times and has wrecked the reputation of the tsg er.

Upper management holds vendettas. Very childish and not what you would expect from those at that level.

Advice to Senior Management

Correct the above cons. As you can see, most of the reviews have all the same cons. Instead of contacting the website to pull the reviews down as was done or else (as was done on the former 'Job Vent' site), turn around how the company operates. There is certainly a need for this type of business, just not it's management style. You do not want honest reviews from employees so these sites are the only way you can learn. My advice is to learn.

If You are a prospective employee, do not join until things are turned around.

Pros

1) Your are rewarded for travelling and working long hours during the year through incentive bonuses that is paid 45 days after you have earned the amount. Go firgure.

2) I give Rob Siegfried kudos for taking a risk to establish this company.

3) It's a good holding place when you are looking for a real job where you can have a professional career, and grow.

Cons

1) You get paid once a month, and atimes, may not be paid ontime because "ADP" messed up.

2) Some of the Regional Marker Leaders (RMLs) are incompetent and should be fired.

3) If you are not a "brown nose" or belong to the "click" you will never make it in this firm

4) This is not a company to build a career, as there is no room to grow in this company.

5) Jobs are not challenging, and you do not learn anything.

Advice to Senior Management

Rob Siegfried should evaluates all his RMLs and RDs to find out if they are competent to do the job they were paid to do.

Pros

The $250 AMEX gift certificate I received after my interview seemed like a nice gesture but looks can be deceiving.

Cons

-The company continues to work with some clients who are notoriously difficult to work with. They will not stick up for employees even when they admit the client is unreasonable.
-Company gatherings are pretentious and alcohol fueled. The company expects employees to attend these gatherings even when it adds tremendously to an employee's already busy schedule.
-A senior executive ridiculed a new employee at a company gathering. The employee stuck up for themself and was let go a time after the incident.
-Engagements are not challenging for the seasoned accounting professional.
-They do not like honest feedback about a client, engagement, work environment, in fact, anything.
-Conference calls are nothing more than 1+ hour rambling sessions by the CEO. They occur in the middle of the day when we would be working for the client.
-Poor training.
-High employee turnover
-Travel reimbursement takes far too long.

Advice to Senior Management

Either you have integrity or you do not.

Pros

Reimbursement of travel expenses. They sent $250 in American Express Gift checks.

Cons

BEWARE!! Do not leave your current role to join this company. I resigned from my previous employer after accepting a written offer to join The Siegfried Group. The Siegfried group seemed like any legimate company, but I was sadly mistaken.

Once I accepted their offer, I wanted to know what will be the official start date of the project - they could never give me a date. Week after week went by... Lie after lie and vague answers about the time it was taking to formulate the team, I later found out from a third party that decided to go with another person. I never received any communications from the cowards in the office.

The irony of this story is that I later had another company contact me about the same position and project because I was qualified to do the job. I hope my story will help the next person.

Advice to Senior Management

Intergrity...

Pros

The pay and benefits are are ok for its size but it is based on a 45 hour work week.

Cons

Small company, menial work assignments and the work is not commensurate to that of the Big Four. The firm is like any other temp agency with better benefits. Due to their small size, they have difficulties neutralizing issues between their clients and staff. Poor management oversight.

Advice to Senior Management

Better management oversight.

Pros

The pay is better than most places

Cons

Lousy benefits
The CEO keeps preaching the same rhetoric of saying the employees are the company's greatest asset. Yet makes thinly veiled threats to employees who are thinking of leaving.
Company claims to care for its people. However there's a disconnect between corporate and actual offices. I would get e-mails from corporate stating that my regional talent director would be contacting me to see how everything was going, and to go to the talent director for any issues. However, I was not once contacted. Also, TSG likes to hide behind legal talk and when a situation arises, they don't think twice about sacrificing an employee to quickly resolve the matter than to find the truth.

For a company that is relatively small in size, they are impressively impersonal. I received more attention when I worked at an international accounting firm. Never felt more like a nobody than here.

Advice to Senior Management

Your employees are your greatest asset; their performance is the reason that TSG has been able to grow to what it's been (or so you have said multiple times). They should be valued; actions speak louder than words.

Pros

The pros are mainly the compensation and the potential to earn bonuses for travel, excess hours, recruiting, and business development.

Cons

The firm tends to overpromise and underdeliver on the types of assignments you end up working on. Also, they have an excessive amount of mandatory meetings, conference calls, and evening events that cut into client service time and your personal time.

Advice to Senior Management

Management should be more considerate of the resources' time, especially since the firm requires a minimum 45 hour billable work week, and not require so many extra activities.

Pros

1. The number one thing with this business model is that you truly get a great opportunity to become more marketable. Many people that left Siegfried recently actually went right onto their clients with no hold up from the firm, which is great. They have such good relationships with large companies that you really cant go wrong.

2. Many of the new assignments are challenging and very interesting, this makes the work day feel fruitful and I also feel like I am gaining knowledge that I couldnt get with my previous firm.

3. The pay increase coming onboard was very substantial. Also, I am getting paid quarterly bonuses which are great to sock away or take vacations. I also use them to take chunks out of my loans and mortgage.

4. Flexibility and honesty.
Everything is so upfront, sometimes you have to make sure you are asking the right questions, but overall I get honest feedback from management.

Cons

The benefits are decent but with the extra pay I am getting, its more than enough to cover any gaps here.

Advice to Senior Management

Thank you for making the recent changes you have. I am glad to see you have learned from past mistakes and that you really are showing alot of care to your employees.

Pros

Good people at the resource level and the pay is decent. Some of the offices are nice and in good locations.

Cons

Management that does not listen to it's employees. Cult-like environment. Poor judgement used in layoffs (i.e. who was on the bench at the time regardless of talent level). No job security. No training. Atmosphere of paranoia.

Advice to Senior Management

Need to open the doors to some qualified people and not make decisions solely on nepotism or friend of family status. Recognize that business is developed locally by professionals who have contacts, not some buffoon sent in from delaware. Stop the pseudo-intellectual, self righteous mentality. Listen to an idea or two occasionally from employees.

Pros

1. Opportunity to work on a broad range of clients and projects;
2. If impress the client, can expand original assignment and grow professionally;
3. Generous annual allowance for professional development courses;
4. Various incentives available for additional hours worked, client and employee referrals

Cons

Health benefits could be better

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work!