Booz Allen Hamilton: An insider guide - Gymkhana

Another insider counters, saying, “There isn’t a lot of chit-chat between employees,which I think stems from the fact that we share offices and too muchtalking could be distracting.”According to one insider, “On the client site, there’s a lot of social interaction,and that’s a lot of the appeal. In terms of the office culture, there’s definitelysome of that, but it’s difficult. People are on the road, so on a Friday orSaturday, there’s a real inclination to go visit your other life and your friendsoutside of work. Do we do things socially as a work group? Absolutely. Isthere a super-robust after-hours environment? Probably less than I would liketo see, but would I participate in it a lot more? That’s difficult to say.” Even so,many insiders mention seasonal outings, happy hours, and other informalsocial opportunities. Some offices schedule activities—like ice cream socialsand citywide scavenger hunts—to get employees together. And more than oneinsider mentions marriages that were made not only in heaven, but also onBooz Allen project teams.Cutbacks after 2001 and the recent hiring boom have both had some effect onemployees’ relationships. Says one insider, “Social interaction outside of workreally varies by level. I think it used to be considerably better a few years ago,but coming out of the downturn, I think people are a little gun-shy and tend toinvest a little less in work relationships. In general, though, it’s a decent place tocome in as an associate. As you get more senior, most folks have some strongpersonal relationships with a couple other folks in the office, usually in theircohort.”The WorkplaceA WTB insider says the recent increases in hiring on that side are being feltamong staff. “We are growing so fast on the TB side; we have all these newpeople across the firm who don’t know Booz Allen. So this culture thing ishard. It’s not something I don’t like, but it’s a concern.”43