More concerned with staff augmentation than delivering great work - Consultant Slalom Employee Review

3.0
18 Sept 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Slalom's salary, bonus, professional development, and consultant sabbatical programs are very competitive and attractive. The corporate culture is very much like a fraternity—the positive of which is always a great Christmas party, an all-expense-paid trip (including spouses and spices) in the Spring, and quartet events and happy hours throughout the year.

Cons

The work environment is often very hostile and even abusive at times. Consultant successes are rarely recognized but even minor infractions and hearsay are given great volume in Slalom's negative-focuses review process. Several employees, myself included, have even endured personal attacks on our character and families as a result of perceived performance issues at work. Managers are instructed to downgrade employee ratings and peer-reviews are dismissed out of hand. The sales and leadership teams don't demonstrate a good understanding of much of the work they're selling—specifically user experience and custom development work—and tend to see all the practitioners of these disciplines as interchangeable despite their specializations. Much greater emphasis is given to "butts-in-seats" billable time than to the quality of the deliverables. Criticism and collaboration are often discouraged and the work, frankly, shows it. There are some incredibly talented people at Slalom that could be doing much better work in a more constructive and less hostile environment. The company is also driven by people who espouse, but do not live, work-life balance. The result is a difficult environment for employees with families or aiming to have families. There is also little or no room for career growth outside of the sales path.

avatar
Slalom Response
11y
This is John Tobin - Thanks for providing the feedback and I will definitely share this with various leaders especially in the Atlanta office. One of the things we are working on is having more consistent experiences for our people especially in their relationship with their people manager. This relationship (in my opinion) is pivotal to making sure you have the right voice and support. I admit that we work hard at Slalom, but it really is in the attempt to do amazing work for our clients and support our employees. That said, I do feel we care and we ask the personal questions of people to understand their specific life situation. If you want to talk about any of these items, I would be happy to have the conversation around your experiences - call me at 206-374-4221. We always strive to do better and feedback helps with that. If you have any other specific feedback you should feel free to email HR anonymously at feedback@slalom.com.

Explore other reviews about Slalom

5.0
25 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work life balance is great

Cons

Pay for roles should be higher

1
2.0
11 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

•There is an impressive budget, especially for high-level events, ancillary experiences, client giveaways, and premium swag. Management does not hesitate to fund top-notch brand experiences when needed. •The company offers a highly competitive benefits and perks package that remains a strong selling point.

Cons

•The "fiercely human" core value does not match daily operations. Collaboration is routinely replaced by a self-service model of training videos and help articles. •These recurring shifts are designed to manufacture the appearance of fiscal stability for the benefit of external stakeholders and clients, while leaving core operational deficits unaddressed. •Organizational maturity is low. Teams operate in deep silos, the internal tech stack is outdated, and there is a distinct lack of adequate project and event management software.

5
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All