Calling all Boston Consulting Group đ : whoâs got some insights on the real-life usage (and impact) of BCGâs flex time model?
Iâm currently interviewing with BCG and want to make sure I understand both sides to the coin (e.g. Is the stigma of being seen as less committed to work when using the flex model still a valid one?)
Thanks đ !!
I wouldnât do flex time at BCG. There is no negative perception from the leadership, but at PL and above youâre still expected to deliver the same results so youâre essentially working similar hours for less pay. Really hard to protect time if thereâs a steerco or other client deliverables youâre driving toward
Chief
Thereâs no stigma afaik. People usually do LOAs instead of Flex time because itâs much harder to actually enforce working 80% or 60% capacity.
Realistically, working 80% at BCG probably brings the hours closer to a normal job on aggregate. But it wonât be 9-5 everyday. Maybe more like 9-10 pm M-Th with Friday off.
Pro
Yeah so instead of working 70-80 hours in 5 days, you can flexibly work 56-68 in 4 days (0.8 FTE) or 42-56 in 3 days (0.6 FTEs)
I think a telling metric to ask is how many people are on flextime in the US (or whatever region you are in). Most people I would guess are doing it short term to deal with a specific personal issue and come back to FT as soon as they can because itâs just very hard to make work as intended. Like every project has to be a negotiation of whether they can accommodate you, you have to keep reminding everyone all the time of boundaries, you need to be flexible about when your days off are, etc etc.
Agree with BCG1 itâs not a stigma though.
I think it gets more doable at the Principal level. Iâve worked with a few people who worked 80% and 60% and they made it work.
No negative perception from leadership but your timeline scales accordingly (which might be nice as far as making up or out a little less urgent)
I agree itâs easier to make it work from principal and above based on what I have observed from other peoples experience.
Honestly there are people working 80% who I didnât even know were working 80% for a long time because they have roles where they arenât 100% staffed on any particular project; therefore it is easier for them to be defensively unavailable because they are staffed on more than one thing. That doesnât happen with any regularity until you hit principal or above.ïżŒïżŒ
So if youâre planning to come into a job, like as an expert person, where you might reliably expect to be spread across more than one project, that would make it a lot more doable.ïżŒ
If youâre in a role where a project expects you to be available 100% of the time, then you have to constantly actively remind your team
Rising Star
When I was there, I heard 80% wasn't worth it, that you did the same amount of work for 80% of the pay. But that 60% was better.
Thanks everyone, I greatly appreciate the insights you shared! đđŒ