Pros
I was looking forward to working at BCG based on its reputation and thought I might learn new ways of working; specifically processes and structures. However this proved way to optimistic! The project I was working on was a small team which didn’t seem to operate to any of the wider policies or frameworks which I am lead to believe do actually exist at BCGDV.
Cons
BCGDV were paying less than half the market rate for the role they were recruiting, and simultaneously couldn’t understand why the weren’t being flooded with candidates. They made such a drama about hiring someone with my skill set/seniority then proceeded to ignore everything I said and recommended for the duration that I worked there. The venture teams have no governance or accountability; the Venture CEOs can do whatever they want and they have the power to just get rid of you. No lunch breaks whatsoever Degrading working environment with back to back meetings for more than 9 hours I day. I asked for 25/55 slots to go in (literally because I wasn’t able to use the bathroom) then I was ridiculed by my Venture CEO and he asked me in team meetings if I needed the bathroom. Sexist - Dads are fine and can talk about their kids as much as they want but as a mother I was treated disgustingly. Socioeconomic discrimination. Almost everyone went to a top public school and numerous colleagues voiced backhanded commend about me fitting in, my background etc. It was appalling. Bullying, my Venture CEO would text me Zoom links out of the blue at 8/9pm for no reason, which I ignored. I was expected to work and attend four hours of meetings before my start date; like it was completely normal and acceptable to bully me to work for free. BCG promoted Zoom free Fridays; just like lunchbreaks or toilet brakes my team didn’t get those. I repeatedly explained that 8am meetings didn’t work for me as I was getting my son to school but I received multiple passive aggressive invites from team members who kept ignoring this; when the male parents asked it was obviously fine. I asked repeatedly for basic information like timeline of project and list of team competencies and responsibilities but it was never provided. Despite asking frequently what expectations/deliverables were nobody ever confirmed in a way I could manage my workload. I was regularly asked to do huge pieces of work with no warning; just another bullying tactic which demonstrates the chaotic and appalling leadership. I was simultaneously told I couldn’t speak on calls, that I spoke too much on calls; and that I didn’t contribute on calls by the same male manager. I was asked by a male manager to consider what I could do differently about another male manager repeatedly ignoring me. I was asked to fabricate projections for a client and put my name to it. After I repeatedly refused I was dragged into more than five hours of meetings where I was continually bullied to acquiesce and just fabricate commercial projections. I was frequently patronised by other team members with many years less experience than me; asked if I was having trouble doing really basic tasks. Two particularly toxic team members took suggestions I had made in private meetings and gave them as their own ideas in large meetings with Partners present. I tried to report unsafe and sexist working conditions to an indirect manager and had my contract terminated four hours later. I tried to report this to HR and was totally stonewalled. They just ignored my emails. I was told by a senior partner that you don’t criticise or you lose the job that’s the culture. I don’t really understand how you can be genuinely innovative in such a toxic bullying culture with zero accountability.
