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    Bain & Company Reviews

    Updated January 14, 2019
    2,314 reviews

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    4.8
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    Bain & Company Worldwide Managing Partner Manny Maceda
    Manny Maceda
    343 Ratings

    Employee Reviews

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    Pros
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    1. Featured Review

      Helpful (2)

      "Amazing place to work!"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      - Interesting and challenging work with great exposure to senior clients
      - Fun and supportive culture, with strong focus on coaching and mentorship
      - Wide range of opportunities within the company (travel, transfers etc.)

      Cons

      - Hours and travel can make finding a work-life balance challenging

    2. "Case Team Leader"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at Bain & Company full-time

      Pros

      The culture: friendly & collaborative relationships within Bain and with the company. Very strong in Private Equity, which I like.

      Cons

      Like every other management consulting firm: lots of travel, not a lot of ownership as you change project every couple months.

      Advice to Management

      Keep working on the flexibility programs (which are getting better and better)

      3. Join the Bain & Company team
      See Our Latest Jobs

    3. Helpful (523)

      "Welcome to Bain"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Manager in Chicago, IL
      Current Employee - Manager in Chicago, IL
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Welcome to Bain. I'm going to give you a problem that neither the CEO nor his entire management team could solve. And I'm probably going to give you lots of different opinions and imperfect data sources. And then I'll ask you to focus in on where the most value is and convince all those people with different opinions that you're right. But don't worry, I'm also going to give you a Bain team. Those associates and consultants are going to be tenacious in coming up with creative approaches. Those managers and partners are going to knock down barriers for you, connect you where you need to be connected, guide, support, direct and re-direct you. The office support staff is going to fix your computer after you spilled coffee on it for the third time, find you the unfindable data source, and smile and hand you a baked good after you ask for help re-doing dozens of slides. You are empowered and accountable but you are not alone. And the best part is you can't fail. Because after all, what all those people are reinforcing is that a Bainie never lets another Bainie fail.

      Cons

      Here's how you know you've made it at Bain. The reward for doing a good job is getting a bigger, tougher problem next time. Meaning, you are always solving the easiest problem you will ever solve again. This takes a lot of resilience and active managing of self-expectations to remember that you are not actually getting worse, the problems are just getting harder. So my advice is to remember that. And then take a second to realize that it would be a lot less fun if the reverse were true. And isn't that precisely why you wanted this job in the first place anyway? It sure was for me.

      Advice to Management

      Continue to find and promote the leadership that lives our operating principles.

      Bain & Company Response

      Sep 27, 2016 – Director, Global Consultant Talent Management

      You have captured the essence of what it means to work here! Thanks for sharing your experience.

    4. "Great place to work"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Consultant in Boston, MA
      Current Employee - Consultant in Boston, MA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Bain truly cares about the people that work there, and about building a supportive community. This ends up being a cycle where people who care about mentorship, community, etc, continue to select Bain over other firms, and the culture gets stronger and stronger. Great place to learn, constantly challenged, good comp.

      Cons

      A feature of professional services in general, is that the hours are long. Within premium management consulting, I feel Bain Bain leads the pack in sustainability. The company has methods for achieving sustainability for employees, but nonetheless everyone at Bain has a long week here and there.

    5. "In my 20 years as an EA..."

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Executive Assistant
      Current Employee - Executive Assistant
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      The people. Collaborative environment. Support staff that truly supports one another. Benefits.

      I am blown away by the culture of this company and tremendously proud to be a Bainie. The talent Bain attracts is both notable and impressive. This company demands a lot but also invests in YOU like no other. The environment is progressive and engaging. You have an opportunity to develop and grow here that is allows you to get as much out of it as you choose to give.

      Input is sought from all levels.

      Cons

      Demanding work hours. No clear path for administrative support staff to advance.

      Advice to Management

      There should be more telework options for EA/MAs. Give your support staff more flexibility where able and they will continue to give you their all...and some.

    6. "Great people, lots of learning"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Consultant in Chicago, IL
      Current Employee - Consultant in Chicago, IL
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (Less than a year)

      Pros

      Breadth of exposure (industries and problem types)
      Work with truly smart people
      Good pay

      Cons

      The downside of switching teams all the time is that if you love working with someone it’s only temporary
      PEG hours can be long

    7. "Great people and PD support"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Interesting work, good benefits, great people, and true committment to your success

      Cons

      Long hours / days

      Advice to Management

      Continue to push for flexible models

    8. Helpful (4)

      "Not for me"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Knowledge Management Specialist
      Current Employee - Knowledge Management Specialist
      Positive Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time

      Pros

      It’s your typical consulting firm in terms of nice office space, unlimited beverages, etc. If you’re into the frat boy lifestyle, the company parties can be fun. Coworkers are smart and driven. You’re allowed to work from home once you’ve been at the company for 1 year.

      Cons

      The hours are unpredictably long and grueling. Toxic leadership creates unnecessary stress, and there is no ability to “manage up” given most leaders are untouchable. Very slow to innovate. Hires smart people but does not let them think for themselves. Prefers to have employees who are willing to put their head down and take orders versus get creative and try new things. Consulting support staff are treated as second class citizens though they are key contributors to the company’s success. Don’t expect to be shown appreciation for your work — excellence is the baseline expectation. Career path is uninspiring, and path to promotion is over engineered. Promotion takes years, and if you’re one of the lucky ones to get there, you’ll just be continuing doing much of the same work.

      Advice to Management

      Seek feedback on your leadership style, then reflect and adjust. Respect the diversity of thought on your team.

      Bain & Company Response

      Jan 7, 2019 – Director, Global Knowledge

      We place significant importance on helping our employees manage their work/life balance. We encourage and are consistently seeking feedback and ideas for improvement, gathered through our annual... More

    9. Helpful (1)

      "Best Company I've ever worked for"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (More than 10 years)

      Pros

      Strong culture. They value their employees.

      Cons

      At times feels like growing pains as it adjusts from what once was a smaller firm to a truly global firm. By this I mean the infrastructure (Office Services, HR) need more modern systems to improve efficiencies.

      Advice to Management

      Get to know your CSS Leadership team. They are a great resource for advice and counsel but are often overlooked.

    10. Helpful (1)

      "Great place to work and learn"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Associate Consultant in Atlanta, GA
      Current Employee - Associate Consultant in Atlanta, GA
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at Bain & Company full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Amazing learning and development opportunities. I'm surrounded by people who constantly push me to be better.

      Cons

      The schedule can be unpredictable sometimes