The main challenge within the organisation is the quality of leadership.
While there are individual exceptions, the overall leadership team has struggled to take accountability for the company's performance.
When business results fall short, responsibility is often attributed to external factors such as market conditions, clients, or their own consultants, rather than being viewed as a leadership issue.
This is difficult to reconcile with the fact that many consultants have built long-standing client relationships and consistently deliver strong results.
For several years, employees have been told that Ireland is one of the group's better-performing markets. However, despite these positive messages, there have been no meaningful salary increases or promotion opportunities, with a different explanation provided each year for why this has not been possible.
A recurring theme is that decisions made at group level prevent improvements to employee pay and recognition. While that may be true to some extent, local leadership has not demonstrated that it can effectively advocate for its people or influence those decisions.
The bonus structure has also been disappointing.
Employees who received a "Succeeding" performance rating—which applies to the majority of staff—received only 90% of an already modest bonus. This sends a confusing message about how performance is recognised and rewarded.
Overall, the impression is that the Irish business has limited influence within the wider organisation, and local leadership has not been effective in securing better outcomes for employees.
Greater accountability, transparency, and stronger advocacy for staff would go a long way toward improving morale and trust.
