4. Slalom
Headquarters: Seattle Number of Billable Consultants: 5,500+ Client Industries Served: Biotech & Pharmaceuticals, Business and Consumer Services, Financial Services, Healthcare, Media & Information, Nonprofit, Real Estate, Retail, Hospitality, Telecom, and Utilities & Energy Consulting Service Lines: IT, Strategy
It's been an incredible 10-year run for Seattle-based Slalom Consulting and this year the firm settles in at No. 4 on the Best Firms to Work For ranking—the same position as last year.
"Being recognized as one of the Best Firms for to Work For is an honor for our firm, one that we are proud to have received for the past 10 years because it represents the collective voice of our employees," says John Tobin, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer. "We believe that employees and clients seek us out because of this recognition, and that it sets a high bar for what they can expect from us that is aligned to our core values. It reaffirms the choice that each of us made to come to Slalom as employees and distinguishes us as a great firm to work with for our clients."
In addition, people love being at Slalom because the firm actively promotes a healthy balance between work and everyday life. "We understand that depth of relationship is at the very core of our business and invest in really getting to know and understand each person who calls Slalom home on a personal as well as professional level," Tobin says. "We provide infinite opportunities to do meaningful work, which in turn creates career growth and the most motivated, efficient, and productive people."
Indeed, Slalom scored high marks in the area of Work/Life Balance again this year. A founding design principle of its business model is a "no unwanted travel," policy and the vast majority of the firm's people never get on a plane for client work. "Those who do make an intentional choice to travel for Slalom," he says. "This is incredibly uncommon for most large consulting firms."
Slalom is home to more than 7,000 employees, with presence in 29 markets and nine build centers. Tobin says that growth creates opportunities for its team members to do truly meaningful work. "We're proud that even as we rapidly scale, we maintain our intimate model and a common culture grounded in our core values."
Tobin says he feels the firm has only scratched the surface of what's possible as it works to help its people, clients, and communities reach for and realize their visions through greater love of work and life. "Maintaining the intimacy of our culture is a core emphasis for next year, as it has been every year since we were founded," he says. "Our 2019 priorities are built around the building and sustainment of Slalom and our existing client relationships, creative thinking that helps accelerate the growth of our people and clients, and a truly innovative mindset that ensures we continually view opportunities through fresh perspective."
Were there any specific programs or initiatives that contributed to you being a Best Firm to Work For?
Tobin: For most companies, strategy development begins and ends with a few executives who come up with an idea, draft a plan, and email it out to the company. Just five short years ago, co-Founders Brad Jackson and John Tobin had an idea to broaden our thinking and set in motion a fresh and inclusive approach to strategic planning. At the same time, we examined and updated our Core Values—the foundation of who we are and the standard by which we hold ourselves accountable—and defined our purpose and vision: We are here to help you reach for and realize your vision to enable greater love of work and life.
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