L.E.K. Consulting Asia

"High quality" environment

Sources at L.E.K. describe a "nice firm" full of "smart people." One insider says it's "young," but most insiders rave about the "high quality" environment that's "open, friendly" and, above all else, "supportive."  Given that "half of the partners are women" in the Shanghai office, the gender balance is also pretty good, according to sources. So much so, that "a third of last year’s recruits [to the office] were women."

Work in home office, then rest and play

Most consultants at L.E.K. report that they very rarely work weekends, if at all.  "In most cases we don’t work over weekends.  You can put away all the work and enjoy the two days," explains a contact.  A colleague agrees, but admits overtime can creep into the schedule, "We try our best not to work on weekends, but there are inevitable late nights before case deliveries." On average, consultants tend to put in a working week lasting 50 to 60 hours. 

Staffers also benefit, or suffer, depending on how you look at the issue, from limited travel.  "Associates almost never, ever travel," stresses one source when asked about the issue.  A colleague agrees, saying there's "almost no travel for junior employees." Another entry-level source says this is because "L.E.K. has very few on-site projects; therefore, there are very few travelling requirements." The firm notes that its associates, particularly those based in China and India, do sometimes travel for short-term field research and interviews, rather than being based on-site.