Perrett Laver reviews about "pay"

- Lack of transparency - Very hierarchical, everyone is working "for" the consultants - Poor work-life-balance (no overtime pay, yet often expected to work outside working hours, which are already long) - Poor salaries compared to experience and responsibilities

If you are straight out of uni and desperate for a first job then there are things you can learn here - but do not stay longer than 1-2 years. The pay is very low and the expectations are very high. Opportunities for career development will be dangled in front of you but these do not come with any training, mentorship or much more money. If you are looking to join as a partner or consultant, look elsewhere. The partner culture is extremely toxic and primarily made up of people who have worked there for 10+ years and don’t like each other.

Low pay, sometimes toxic culture too.

Researchers are treated like absolute dirt, turnover is like nothing I have ever seen before and most researchers don’t last the two year mark for very good reason. There is a culture of overwork and burnout that is continually legitimised and expected of you and is not remunerated nearly as well as it should be, and it is very depressing that the company basically relies on you doing unpaid overtime on a regular basis when you can barely pay your rent and bills. Disability awareness and support are non-existent. I was targeted and bullied by a senior colleague and have subsequently developed severe social anxiety that was previously under control, as well as being more depressed than I have ever been in my life in the time I was working there to the point of developing fantasies of being mown down by a bus just so I could have some time off to recover from the burnout. The harassment combined with the lack of progression and culture of disempowerment of researchers leads to qualified individuals (most researchers have a master’s, some have PhDs) losing all confidence in themselves and being made to feel stupid and incompetent, while doing very intellectually unstimulating admin work that will lead to a dead end unless you’ve always dreamt of being a consultant. Unless you are desperate don’t work here. I wish I had paid attention to the other Glassdoor reviews but I had no other choice

Consultant and Researcher Divide: As seen from various reviews in the thread, the issue still persists and it will most probably not change. Consultants who come from outside the firm tend to be more knowledgeable, friendly, inclusive and professional as compared to those who 'grow -up' with the firm. Researchers do not get the respect they deserve from many of the consultants - they are seen more of a resource rather than colleagues. Trust is only built between the two if you do well from the very get go, most researchers do not do well early given the lack of proper training and development (see below for elaboration). While we are aware that there is high turnover in search, PL seems to lose researchers faster than competitors. The rate of retaining researchers is laughable - this contributes to the overall lack of experience and seniority of the team. Training and progression: Inconsistencies in the way new associates are trained. Lack of a proper career progression metrics. Promotions are mainly based on capacity and your 'connections', instead of skill and talent. I do believe that there are consultants who need people management training as there are some who are absolutely unpleasant people to work with. For prospective graduates considering a role here, I would say you might be better of looking at the top global executive firms (SHREK) to build your career in search as they are generally better equipped to prepare you for the industry, and pay competitively too. Perrett Laver would suit people who are in their mid-career/late-career. Compensation and benefits: Decent starting pay but the lack of bonus and communication around it is disappointing. Researchers would have to serve 2 years before gaining a 'bonus', regardless of the amount of work you do. The bonus scheme is laughable and not on par with the industry. Diversity: Absolute lack of diversity in all forms in the management/senior partners. It is ironic that the firm prides on their diverse appointments while having a mostly white/middle-class management. Database: Lack of training for associates and reluctance of some senior consultants to be familiar with the database leads to inconsistencies. This might have changed recently.

Development - is nonexistent, training varies from shoddy to nonexistent, and it is the sole responsibility of one of the peers in your team who may be stuck training several other people, already desperately trying to leave PL, or still in their probation/training period themselves - you get bingo if it is all of the above! even if you don't get a trainer that will not stop a consultant for getting angry at you for not knowing something you had no possible way to know Pay - as mentioned by others the bonus structure, pay progression, and development opportunities are well below par for this sector and this is the reason they struggle to hire researchers from other search firms and therefore rely on fresh graduates. Promotions are incredibly subjective and reviews give non-specific feedback about needing more experience rather than tangible goals. Diversity - is something for their clients and not for them, it is constantly talked about but never from an internal basis (apart from when they brought in a bunch of interns to improve their diversity) People management skills - are not something they seem to value or at least no one has them which again explains the incredibly high turnover and lack of processes and training. I don't know how they stay profitable or keep their clients with how they operate Hierarchy - they will claim it isn't there but that is laughable if you are joining as a researcher you are at the bottom of the ladder so prepare to be stepped on If you are going to take the job with them give it a year for experience and then move on but really you should just find something better now unless really desperate Also, they will lie in the interview about pay, progression, etc so make sure you get anything agreed in writing

progression is slow but worth it

Poor management, no career path and the pay is low