Work-life balance in consulting - is it getting better?

Hi all,

I'm about to join the delightful world of consulting (RB in Europe) and I'm very interested in the recent evolutions of work-life balance in consulting. I have heard a lot recently about WLB getting better as a result of:

  • War for talent between consulting firms: as the consulting industry's growth is insane (esp. in Europe) and consulting firms need to expand their teams, consultants and candidates have more bargaining power and firms are forced to offer better conditions

  • War for talent with the tech industry: as tech companies offer good salaries with generally better hours, consulting firms are forced to align a bit

  • Consultants being completely gassed out after COVID and working a shit ton at home


Could the ones currently working at Tier 1/Tier 2 consulting firms confirm whether this is complete bullshit or if WLB is actually (even slightly) improving in the sector?

Thank you so much for your input :)

 
Most Helpful

One of the reasons that I left Bain was because the WLB was getting extraordinarily worse than advertised during recruiting, and management did very, very little to improve it during COVID. There's a boom in hiring because so many people left, and I don't foresee it getting any better fort he next 2-3 years as they deal with the fallout of the exodus. They're promoting people quicker now which means less experience up top, which drives unsustainability. And the exits to tech, where you make more money and work less (but still get cool strategy projects) are juicier and juicier, so top talent just isn't staying anymore, they're leaving once they have the resume point checked off.

A few friends have told me that it's getting better from peak COVID, but to be honest, it's not hard to get better than 70-80 hours a week working our of your closet. It's nothing like it was before.

Remember, always be kind-hearted.
 

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