| Topic Name: |
What's Going Well? |
| Message Name: |
Outsider's perspective |
| Date Posted: |
01/02/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
Sure is a big downer reading all the posts lately. Anything going right at Hewitt? I'm trying to decide whether to stay or go. How about something on the postive side? Or is there a bright-side looking ahead? See any leadership that's going to pull us out of these times? |
| Message: |
As one who originally signed up for Vault to get the kind of candid feedback former and current Hewitt staff have posted, I wanted to share an outside perspective on the common themes I've seen as food for thought:
1. Hewitt obviously is still going through major changes re: going public from its partnership days. It doesn't appear sr. management has a grasp of how this should be done the right way.
2. Many current employees who post must take accountability for their own misery--get off the pot and do it. If you're unhappy, leave. Easier said than done? Sure. But if you're that miserable, hold the conviction you blame your management of not having.
3. Off-shoring is NOT a panacea, as many have observed. Just like e-commerce, the Internet revolution (which, by the way, seems to be staging a comeback)--all were done for the "quick fix". Obviously, we're finding fundamentals need to be in place, and practices like off-shoring are merely the tool to implement.
4. Many publicly held companies who've been public longer than Hewitt have many of the same challenges. I agree, to an extent, that legacy management needs a jolt if the public model is to succeed. However, you also have a board of directors that needs to stand up and be held accountable. There's nothing that says you "workers bees" can't send a letter or attend an annual meeting and voice your disgust and displeasure at seeing "your" company go down the toilet, as so many have pointed out. Ever hear of a petition? Strength in numbers? If that many if you are dissatisfied and want to see Hewitt succeed, you have a choice. Nobody is holding a gun to your head.
FYI, I was called to interview for an internal, non-client position with Hewitt in the summer. I appreciate many of the posts--negative and positive--about Hewitt because the inconsistencies of viewpoints made me realize that if nothing else, Hewitt certainly appears dysfunctional at this stage in its public life. I've got news for you: get used to the public life. Whether you like it or not, you don't own the company; the shareholders do. You need to realize it took Hewitt how long to build it into the privately held behemoth it was pre-IPO. It's going to take a few years for things to get into shape, and some pain is going to ensue.
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