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Consultants at firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain opt to work on a flexible basis

Kartik Dhar, a senior associate consultant spent close to 2.5 years at Bain before taking a six month break in September 2013. He and his IIT batch mate and fellow senior associate consultant Nitish Bhushan are starting-up Clothzy.com, which is an online portal that will connect designers and apparel stores to customers. 

Dhar will rejoin Bain this April, but will also be involved with the start--up in a part time role. "I wanted to take some time to do something on my own, and I'm thankful to Bain for giving me this great opportunity to pursue my passion," he says. 

His venture, Dhar says, is similar to Zomato, then Foodie Bay, when it was co-founded by ex-Bain consultant Pankaj Chaddah while he was working at Bain in 2008. 

Like Dhar, more and more consultants at top firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain and also those from audit and advisory firms KPMG and PwC are opting out of punishing 15-18 hour work days the job sometimes demands. Many are increasingly opting to work on a flexible or contract basis, working 2-3 days a week or even taking sabbaticals and entrepreneurial and rejuvenation breaks to pursue their passions. 

Firms too have introduced arrangements that enable greater flexibility and provide consultants with breathing space. 

"There's a wide variety of opportunities out there, and many of our young - and not-so-young - colleagues are interested in exploring these options, as they look to do something else that they are passionate about," says Nikhil Prasad Ojha, strategy head of Bain & Company India and a partner who oversees HR. 

Two years after McKinsey introduced the Take Time sabbatical policy in India, the number of consultants seeking flexible work arrangements have risen from 8% in 2012 to 10%. At Bain, more than 20% of the 200 consultants have sought flexible work options over the past few years. A partner took a six months' break to do an Alaska to Zanzibar trip with his family. 

Adarsh Nair, a Bain consultant who was passionate about soccer, took time off to do an 'externship' with Baichung Bhutia and helped the soccer star set up a football academy. "The opportunity with a start-up allowed me to use my problem solving skills in a completely different environment," says Nair. 

While he was not entitled to monthly salaries at Bain, Nair continued to be covered under other benefits like company-sponsored insurance. His mentors and reviewer kept track of what he was doing, and through frequent chats with them and the feedback from the academy's leadership team, Nair was given tenure credit, which meant he did not lose out on appraisals and promotions. Nair rejoined Bain in March 2012, but he left again in September 2012 to pursue his MBA from London Business School. 

Two years ago, Bain introduced Take Two, which allows employees to take an extended break (typically two months) to rejuvenate or fulfil personal goals. 

 

Consultants who sign up for McKinsey's 'Take Time,' get four to eight weeks off over and above their vacation balance each year. It enables them to take time off between projects to pursue personal interests. Leave of absence allows consultants to take a temporary break from McKinsey, typically for one to six months to make time for personal priorities, while other part-time arrangements include reduced days per week or reduced hours per day. 

The need for flexibility has also been felt at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). "It is a demanding profession and we try to provide a range of flexible options to employees," says Navneet Vasishth, partner and director for education. 

A few years ago, Chandrika Pasricha, a consultant with McKinsey & Company, took a life-changing decision. After nearly a decade with the firm, she quit in 2007 because she got tired of the constant travel and breakneck pace of the profession. 

Pasricha started working with the firm as an external consultant on a project basis. Simultaneously, she was also advising select organisations in the development sector. In 2012, she started Flexing It, an online platform for professionals like her who were looking for greater flexibility. 

Consultants like Pasricha have sought greater flexibility at top-tier consulting firms, with schedules stretching to back-breaking 18-hour days when projects near completion. 

Audit and advisory firms KPMG and PwC are also exploring more flexible work arrangements. The need for flexibility has been greatly enhanced at KPMG following the elevation of Shalini Pillay as head of HR in 2012. A former partner in consulting at KPMG, Pillay has been in the business for 19 years having had stints with the erstwhile Arthur Andersen. She knows what it is like to be on the other side. 

"We are working on policies that will enable greater flexibility as it is a need in this profession, which can easily lead to burnouts," she says. Over the past year, Pillay has tweaked the sabbatical policy, extending the reasons for which employees may opt for it. The company also introduced the work-from-home policy in May 2012. Further, it is working on options wherein people may be assessed on project outcomes and not the numbers of hours or days they clock in a week. 

Working independently, of course, is a another option for consultants. Flexing It, for instance, has a wide variety of professionals availing of its services. Ex-McKinsey consultant Dhruv Swamini and Mridul Ganesh, a former business analyst are two examples. Swamini launched her own company DuPlays and offers consultancy services on a part-time basis, while Ganesh works as a part-time consultant because he wanted to devote more time to write songs and perform gigs for his Hindi rock band Antariksh. 

"It's not that these people are not serious about careers. They just want greater control over their work lives and often want to work on multiple projects at a time," says Pasricha.