Where ‘You’re a Star!’ Means Nothing - Anonymous employee GLG Employee Review

Spent enough time at GLG to see behind the shiny image, and I think it’s only fair to share an honest perspective for anyone thinking about joining. The workload was incredibly high — so much so that many days you couldn’t even take a proper break or lunch. The pressure to deliver quickly is constant, but there’s little regard for how unsustainable that is over time. The culture felt like being back in high school. It’s a very young crowd, which might sound fun at first, but in practice it means cliques, gossip, and social games. Who you’re friends with often matters more than the quality of your work. If you speak up about problems or share the truth, you’re seen as negative. Promotions are political — you often have to be friends with the right people rather than just good at your job. There’s no clear career path if you don’t stay within certain areas. Internal opportunities are promised and then disappear without warning. For example, someone senior told our team not to worry because we’d keep our jobs for at least another year — then a month later, seven people were made redundant. HR offered alternative roles, then took those away the next week, leaving people with no choice but to accept redundancy. Going to the office four days a week was more of a headache than anything else. It was hard to focus or have professional conversations with clients or experts because people sitting right next to you would loudly talk about their private lives. The noise made it embarrassing and unprofessional at times. Helping someone out was often met with, “You’re a star,” but the praise felt shallow — just words with no real impact on your career. They distract people with ice cream days and expensive parties, but no one addresses the real problems. The anonymous surveys never resulted in meaningful changes. People should speak up and stop falling for shallow perks — but in a company full of kids, what can you expect?