BCG is the cradle of professional services, but one cannot eternally live in a cradle. The turnover is high, and it's exasperated by consistently abysmal strategic planning by NAMR leadership when it comes to recruiting targets. The workload and expectations are somewhere between extreme and impossible -- forget any chance of having a social life outside of work. The environment pushes out new parents without fail. While people are cordial, stress levels run extremely high and frequently push hardy people to the breaking point of taking leaves for mental health reasons.
The value proposition of BCG as an MBB is rapidly changing as NAMR leadership pushes it to grow at all costs. The level of talent is declining along with price points, leading to steady cuts in perks and a decline in culture while the hours increase. BCG is becoming more reminiscent of a Deloitte or Accenture with the move towards implementation consulting and thinner margins. As OPPL are worked harder, they are left with less time to develop A/Cs and future waves of talent... leaving the next generation even less-equipped to do the job in a vicious feedback loop.
BCG once occupied a regional staffing niche between Bain's local model and McKinsey's global model, but the new system realignment has meant even stronger barriers to internal staffing, and teams are often unable to find the PA expertise they need for delivery within their region. BCG NAMR is becoming a loose confederation of franchises loosely held together by PAs that roll up into one system P&L.
The Atlanta office particularly struggles to promote and retain a diverse talent pool. There's a reason the face page of the MDP team isn't remotely close to that of incoming hire classes. I saw little to indicate this would change anytime soon.
