Impossible to excel as a working mother - Senior Associate Exponent Employee Review

1.0
May 14, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Smart people and stimulating work.

Cons

There is no path to excel for a working mother. I spent several years at Exponent as a highly ranked consultant, always rated at or near the top of my cohort. When I had a baby and took maternity leave (which, by the way, is not fully paid at Exponent), I apparently fell majorly behind everybody else in my group. Not only was I the only one in my cohort not promoted, but I was not even "put up" for promotion due to my reduced billable hours for that year - despite my many prior accomplishments over the tenure of my career at Exponent and high quality work product. While I raised concerns to senior management about this and other similar issues regarding factors that are weighed during employee evaluation, nothing was done to make the process more equitable. When I repeatedly spoke up about what I felt was right, I was treated as a pest and as if I weren't grateful. Despite so many companies evolving with the times (ie., by offering paid maternity leave, preventing employee burnout, allowing for guilt-free sick and vacation time, etc), Exponent is doubling down on its antiquated and conservative ways, leading to recent high employee turnover. After repeatedly being shut down by me and other consultants who have literally begged for change to make us happier, I have no faith that Exponent will become a company that treats its employees well. The corporate team has proven an utter lack of values and a focus on one thing only: billable hours.

avatar
Exponent Response
4y
Exponent is inclusive and supportive of parents of all genders. Many parents have been promoted during a year in which they were on maternity or paternity leave including several to Principal (our highest consulting level). For maternity specifically, benefits include paid disability leave for the period defined by the doctor (typically 2-4 weeks prior to delivery and 6-8 weeks post-delivery). Our Paid Family Leave benefit provides support for another 8 weeks. And our generous sick leave policy enables up to another 4 weeks of paid leave. So in total, paid maternity leave may be up to 20 weeks. Additionally, we have an employee network called Parent Pods that has been designed by parents to provide support to each other. The COVID-19 pandemic presented incredible additional challenges for parents. We are very sensitive to this and are continuously looking for ways to provide additional support. Sally Shepard, Chief Human Resources Officer

Explore other reviews about Exponent

5.0
Mar 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits and great culture

Cons

Inconsistent workload but partly due to the nature of the business

2
2.0
May 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Diverse work, intelligent and ambitious colleagues, above average compensation package for newly minted PhDs. Giving 2 stars simply because of these perks.

Cons

Extremely poor work/life balance, high pressure on billable hours/utilization, cutthroat/burn-and-churn culture, weak management, poor mentorship opportunities (didn't feel inspired by many leaders), sink-or-swim onboarding (I think this has changed a little since I left), ton of gatekeeping around promotions, and worst of all.... there's very little humanity present in the culture. Almost everyone I knew didn't fundamentally feel as if their office, practice, and/or manager cared about them as a human. Bad managers get promoted so long as they're revenue generating. I would not recommend this company to be a person's first choice.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All