- A 40 hours/wk billable target is well above industry norms. FSM’s average pay is less than the industry average despite this fact. This is likely due to the array of non-billable resources on staff, as FSM is also a sales organization and has a very talented marketing team.
- Senior management and executives value loyalty and dronish assent more than ever having to be challenged by difficult questions. Considering the high value they place on personality (as opposed to merit), this follows. Mind you, this is all despite the fact senior management routinely state they are open to feedback. However, my experience is that all such things are not entirely sincere as an almost cultish devotion to their much beloved CEO (and friend) is always the ultimate priority.
- Their lack of formal performance evaluations might seem cool at first but I’ve seen this practice cause more issues internally than it’s worth. Challenge to this practice is often passed off as a matter of personal taste and “cultural fit” rather than considering the possibility that the practice itself is arbitrary and untenable.
- The actual expectations for promotion is shrouded in mystery despite recent strides to uncover it some. Nevertheless, the personal whims and preferences of hiring managers are not widely known or clearly defined yet seem to carry the most weight in this decision process, nonetheless.
- Many (not all) senior leaders are perceived as being insufficiently engaged with their teams. Such behavior is misleadingly taught as “not micro-managing” as opposed to simply managing. And so, the bar for managing their people is set low by design.
- Female employees are frequently frustrated and uncomfortable with FSM’s very fraternal culture established among the more senior staff.
- Loose, pseudo-Christian undertones are borderline bizarre
- The internal-facing things FSM does poorly are done to an extremely poor level.
- Managerial concern for employees is often reported as performative
