McKinsey & Company

"Not sustainable to continue working here with a family or children"

"The opportunities are endless if you can put McKinsey on your cv - just really make sure that it's what you want or that the benefits outweigh the shit you're going to have go through. It's not even that men are making it difficult for you there; it's the other women in leadership positions both on the consulting track and non consultant. I can't even explain it; they make it harder for other women to succeed but are happy to bolster and support the men. It's so sad and you really need to have tough skin to cut it."

"The culture depends very heavily on always being "on" and available. This means working late nights every night, even without a clear deliverable need, and always self-promoting, such as how your weekend hobbies make you a better employee. I only knew of one female AP/Partner who had kids, and her family had a lot of hired help. The women who took a step back to work in-house roles at the firm were looked down on by the others. Overall, for a male or female, the culture is quite toxic. It is not surprising at all that McKinsey has been in the news recently for several large ethical failings. "

"It will catapult your career but the hours are brutal. "

"McKinsey has good benefits that partially compensate for the lack of work-life balance. Professional development and growth highly depend on the function, team and the manager. Overall, it's a good company to work for, and it's getting better when it comes to representation of women in leadership roles."

"There are a lot of policies that are supportive of women and of work-life balance. If your manager is not being supportive, reach out to someone in HR to ensure you know the polices and can address the situation."

"They have great medical & dental benefits; especially maternity leave policy. "

"Amazing benefits and good policies, very flexible time-off policies if you're a consultant. But, expect to work extremely hard and struggle with work life balance"

"It's a great place to learn new things as well as gain great experience."

"Great company to work for, good policy for promoting women’s issues"

"It's a unique place that lives by a set of values that align with my own"

"Best in class suite of programs and policies to support women"

"At Partner level more flexibility is afforded so it's worth working hard until achieving this level"

"Great benefits, but up or out culture would make raising a family and feeling successful on the job difficult"

"Tough employer with the best intentions. It is a people driven business so you need to work with inspirational partners that will support you. You can 'make your own McKinsey' and have children and a great career, but you will need to be very organised and strict with your time, it won't just 'happen'."

"Work-life balance not sustainable; flexibility options are constrained. Many examples of unconcious bias."

"Find female metors early (there aren't a lot to go around, but try hard), and listen to what people tell you about the senior partners - find the ones who have a reputation for supporting women."

"It is possible to make your own Mckinsey. Speak up and ask. You will be surprised at how flexible the firm can be. "

"There is lots of flexibility within the job, take advantage of it"

"don't be afraid to ask for help and set boundaries"

"They encourage women to move up in the company"

"Good!"

"McKinsey is making a good effort to get and keep more female employees, so I thought there were a lot of opportunities to have mentors, join office groups, etc. There is a high premium placed on being a frequent contributor during meetings, which is challenging when that's not your style."

"hey are working hard to find opportunities for women, however, it is tough to go back into the typical consultant role after having a baby. They are still trying to figure out what models will work."

"The Women's initiative is such a great program and there are many opportunities for women to excel in parts of the Firm."

"Set your own boundaries and live by it, regardless of what other people do."

"I like working at McKinsey. Within the practice area I work, there are actually a lot of other women as well. I think the firm also focuses a lot of time and energy on trying to make things equitable between men and women. The bigger question in my mind is whether the hours and travel will be sustainable longer term as I think about having a family and wanting to spend more time at home."

"There is a lot of flexibility to 'make your own McKinsey' -- and a real effort on the part of the firm to make the place more sustainable for dual-income parents. Women's attrition rates are still relatively high, but it is not for lack of trying on the part of firm leadership."

"Great place that is focusing a lot of efforts around women."

"It's a hostile environment where women are given far fewer opportunities and much less mentoring. Basic HR rules are completely ignored. I have been told this is because they do not fear lawsuits."

"Some great male partners that fully support women, but there are some that have a bias."

"Great place to launch career but work life balance not so great."

"Despite this being an environment with more men than women, I have never felt at a disadvantage or discriminated against. I truly believe McKinsey is working very hard to grow the percentage of women."

"I've worked here for 4 years across 2 offices and multiple sectors/industries. I believe that McKinsey is truly committed to creating an environment where everyone can succeed and thrive, including women. There are numerous programs that have been designed with flexibility in mind (these are open to both men and women) and the number of these programs has grown substantially since I joined the company. While consulting remains male dominated, there are certainly female role models and many male roles models and sponsors as well. One of my favorite "women friendly" things about McKinsey is our evaluation system, which I think takes a significant amount of bias out of reviews."

"It is an incredibly supportive environment for women, with lots of flexibility options. My male colleagues are respectful and supportive and treat me as a true peer."

"Take the time to get to know people - the people at this firm are amazing, and personal relationships make the job much more rewarding"

"Women are definitely second class citizens."

"I think McKinsey does everything possible to foster a positive working environment for women. In addition to several initiatives that I've been involved in, I've also been really happy to see men participate in the dialogue in really meaningful ways, particularly the leadership serving as a good example. The focus on mentorship has been really important to me, and I've been lucky to have several female mentors who have made opportunities for me."

"I've had an extremely positive experience working here. There are incredibly inspiring female leaders who make themselves available to advise / mentor female colleagues, and I've never felt that being a woman has had a negative influence on the work I'm allowed to do or the reviews or support I've received. In my experience, this job has been empowering and has really built my confidence."

"In my 2 year here, I've found McKinsey to be truly entrepreneurial - you can take ownership over your own career path and drive it where you see fit. McKinsey is a place that will push you beyond your comfort zone, place you around some of the smartest people on the globe and where you'll find people who really care about you and your development."

"nothing"

"Mini me syndrome exists - find great directors and adopt their field. Don't follow your passion and end up with one of the head cases"

"Great mentorship"

"Understand that things are not quite the fairytale they tell you about when you arrive. This is a "buttoned up" boys club at it's core. Your personality is less of an asset than you'd hope."

"Build sponsors, not just mentors."

"I think the key is to build helpful mentoring and sponsor relationships as early as possible. In addition I think you need to always be careful about framing things in the positive, otherwise you can be seen as a complainer."

"I worked at McKinsey for about 7 years. It was a great experience, but I didn't know how political it would get as you get more senior in the Department. McKinsey is a Partnership and this is an important fact to remember - it's not just about your own performance but also which Partner is in charge and who is in their support network - as the lead Partners move around so do political allegiances, especially in the support staff departments. You might well be doing a great job but if there is no-one to bat for your team, you won't last long. Maternity leave was for the most part uneventful - they will leave you alone while you're on maternity leave but most McKinsey women prefer to keep in touch with the office and it is easy to do so most of the time."

"Na"

"Advocate for yourself. Ask for step up opportunities. You are awesome and you deserve the job you have - don't doubt yourself for one minute - you were chosen from a pile of amazing candidates. Our recruiting processes don't allow for mistakes - you earned this!"

"I've worked there for multiple years and have gone through multiple life stages and it has been a wonderful, supportive place through everything."

"Flexible roles are less common."