Interesting work, pretty good starting salary, sub-par management, lousy raises - Senior Associate Consultant HKA Employee Review

3.0
May 3, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-the work can be very engaging and unique. -work-life balance is generally pretty great -ability to work from home -generally good benefits -bonuses are fine -job security if you can last

Cons

-very niche industry -corporate likes to micromanage -increasingly bureaucratic -employee review system is awful. Based on limited, generic inputs and supervisors who may not work with you have final say over ratings and can change them as they see fit, without warning or reason. -lousy raises despite financial performance of company, project performance, and individual performance -consultants have no ability to provide feedback to management -Owned by a private equity company, upper management only concerned with profit. -difficulty retaining consultant level employees -Management is horrible at acknowledging and rewarding jobs well done.

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HKA Response
4y
Thank you for sharing your views and thank you for all you have achieved in HKA for the last 3-4 years, as I note you are a current employee. Thank you for sharing your view about HKA’s positive business outlook. Delighted that you have had a good experience with the interesting work you are involved in at HKA, work-life balance, good benefits, bonus, and job security. I also see you have several Cons listed. It is important for me to say, I respect that these are your views; albeit I don’t agree with many of your points. Always feel free to connect with me in person, as often it is better to listen and debate solutions to improve situations – feel free to reach out at katewood@hka.com and we can arrange to meet up. A few points to address your views:- - “corporate likes to micromanage” – I am sorry you see it that way. I do see it differently. Our experienced experts who are in our corporate functions are doing all they can to improve HKA and bring more consistency to a successful and growing global business - “employee review system is awful. Based on limited, generic inputs and supervisors who may not work with you have final say over ratings and can change them as they see fit, without warning or reason” The performance management system that I observe in HKA is managed fairly and robustly to reward high performers who deliver results and to develop colleagues who may need more help. If you have any personal concerns about your performance reviews please reach out and we can happily look at the situation for you - “lousy raises…” – I respect this is your view, yet the vast majority of our HKA team do see this differently. We know that Total Reward is one component of how we motivate and keep our brilliant people; so we always address this area as best we can to sustain HKA. We typically promote circa 15% of our global team each year, as we know they are ready for promotion and we want to recognize and reward their talent and success - “consultants have no ability to provide feedback to management” – factually this is very different. We encourage feedback, ideally in person or through our electronic feedback system, Agile. In addition, we have several external anonymous surveys that happen during the year to allow all colleagues to share their views; as we know this helps us all to celebrate success, share things that work, and address areas that need to improve - “Owned by a private equity company, upper management only concerned with profit” – our leadership teams are passionate about our people, as we know they make the difference to HKA clients and to how our people enjoy their daily work in HKA. Our people rated their satisfaction at working in HKA as 8/10 in our last global external anonymous survey; which is illustrative of an engaged team that feels happy at HKA. I am sad and sorry that you feel this way about HKA and you are frustrated, where you have worked for over three years. As mentioned, please do reach out to me, as I am willing to listen, share views, and always look to make further improvements. In the interim, thanks for sharing candidly your opinions. Wishing you well. Best regards Kate Wood Partner, Chief People Officer

Explore other reviews about HKA

5.0
Apr 17, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company to work for. Lots of development room and potential

Cons

WLB can be difficult is time is not properly managed

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HKA Response
1mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re pleased to hear that you’ve found HKA to be a great place to work, with strong development opportunities and potential for growth. Supporting career progression and helping our people build fulfilling careers is a key priority for us. We also appreciate your honest comments around work–life balance. The nature of our work can at times be demanding, and we recognise the importance of effective workload management and open conversations with managers to help maintain balance. This is something we continue to focus on and improve across the business. Thank you again for sharing your experience.
4.0
May 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits and comp overall with work life balance

Cons

Competitive environment, often cutthroat atmosphere

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