GLG reviews

2.6

23% would recommend to a friend

(2,268 total reviews)
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Gemma Postlethwaite

20% approve of CEO

18% positive business outlook

GLG has an employee rating of 2.6 out of 5 stars, based on 2,268 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The GLG employee rating is 30% below average for employers within the Administración y consultoría industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
1.0
May 16, 2024

Extremely disappointing

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Initially, the hybrid working pattern of 2 days a week was acceptable, providing a somewhat healthy balance between office and remote work. Offering one free meal per week was a thoughtful perk that added some value to the work experience.

Cons

Recently, the company has shifted to requiring employees to be in the office at least 3 days a week, which can be inconvenient and disruptive. The nature of the work is often boring, repetitive, and lacking in meaningful engagement. It often entails pressuring experts, which can be uncomfortable and unproductive. Career progression within the company is sluggish, with many opportunities denied due to cost-cutting measures. The office environment is noisy and lacks adequate meeting spaces, leading to disruptions and discomfort for both employees and clients. This has resulted in complaints about excessive noise during phone calls. The probation period is excessively long, with little guarantee of job security, as termination can be abrupt and without proper notice. Employees are frequently laid off without adequate warning or support, reflecting poor planning and management decisions. The company's hiring practices seem disorganized, with inconsistent policies regarding recruitment and layoffs. Salary increases have been minimal or nonexistent due to budget cuts, leaving employees feeling undervalued and financially strained. Flexible working requests are often disregarded, undermining trust and morale among employees. While direct managers may be well-intentioned, they often lack the necessary support and resources to effectively lead and support their teams, leading to frustration and disengagement among employees. Conclusion: Overall, my experience with GLG has been disappointing, and I would caution prospective employees to carefully consider their options before accepting a position here. The company's shortcomings in terms of work environment, career advancement, and employee treatment make it an undesirable place to work.

5.0
Apr 30, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I was with GLG for 11 years and left a senior level. I watched the company grow significantly during that time, but the reasons I loved working there on Day 1 remained the same on my final day in the office. I experienced the company in the London and New York offices and traveled quite a bit to Austin, as well. After being in the work force for 20 years at this point and working in a number of different companies, I can say honestly that I have never seen a company that does a better job at hiring smart, curious, fun, social people, and then gives them an opportunity to exercise those skills regularly. The core of what GLG does only grows with intellectual curiosity of the people that it hires. To be clear, I am no Pollyanna-- I had some good days and some bad days-- really great managers and some with "room for improvement". With any quickly growing company, there were days and or stages of my career that provided more or less stimulation--some days would be spent doing what felt like data entry or scheduling. But these days were far surpassed by the good days--chatting with clients who were founding partners are successful PE firms or hedge funds, Council Members who were any one from former heads of state to the leading baked goods expert in France. I learned about topics I always and never wanted to know about-- the creation of the eurocrisis to sausage casings in Texas. And, again, the people who were there consistently with equally as interesting chat were the my work colleagues at GLG. GLGers have very quick exposure to the world's foremost thought leaders (on the council member side) and clients who are some of the sharpest from the financial services, consulting and corporate worlds. The company is also at a pivot point right now, and the CEO is making changes. Some have been great, some not so great, and some he's learned from and changed. The CEO and leadership team, though, are passionate about the business and are with the folks on the floor a lot to ensure they are guiding the company in the right way and that people are on board. The leadership team is also a good group of people-- and I don't think you see that a lot at the exec level. I left the company for personal reasons, but I left with a heavy heart. GLG is a great place to be, it is what you make it, and I am excited to see where the company is in the next few years.

Cons

Over the years, there was a spottiness in the consistency of promotions. GLG erred on the side of promoting technicians/people who were great at their job vs people who are good managers. The new CHRO is lazer-focused on this issue, though, and it is having an impact.

2.0
Mar 28, 2020

Pause Before Joining

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Most of my coworkers were good at their jobs and were fun people to be around. Sometimes the projects were genuinely interesting. Occasional free food and fun events. If, on its face, your job offer from GLG is the most attractive one you have, it may be the right choice to accept. See Cons for considerations though.

Cons

In the months before I left, Paul Todd & Friends increasingly seemed to have no idea what direction they were steering the company in (I imagine this was at least partially induced by a growingly impatient SFW, the private equity firm that owns a big share of GLG). Several great people (some hired very recently) got laid off for no coherent reason other than that GLG did a terrible job of budget planning. This was the worst that things got, but for over a year leading up to the layoffs there was constant vacillation by upper management about what should be prioritized and who should be responsible for it. This repeatedly led to many weeks' worth of work being abandoned or progress being indefinitely delayed, so it repeatedly felt like nothing was getting done in spite of people constantly grinding. A consistent complaint among new hires was that their jobs wound up being quite different from what they understood them to be before they started. This is at least partially due to the above. GLG espouses a commitment to development, but my reality was much rockier. Because of upper management's inconsistency, the skill I feel like I developed most in my years here was how to placate multiple exasperated managers who each want to take things in a different direction and don't understand why progress isn't being made. Pay and benefits are average - they're better if you work at a real tech company. GLG may have consistent strong growth each year, but unless you're really high up the chain, you'll get no spoils from GLG's success (bonuses are totally based on your own metrics and ratings from your manager; there's no equity compensation nor profit-sharing). This, along with a long promotion/raise curve, saps the motivation to stick things out when the going gets tough.

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