Keeping them happy

Booz Allen is a leading global consulting firm, with more than 18,000 employees serving clients on six continents. Placed 63rd in the Fortune 100 best companies to work for 2006, according to Fortune “this management consultant is good to kids and parents, letting 79 percent of employees work on flexible schedules. On school holidays, the McLean office plans all-day excursions for employees’ kids.” Not every company seems to understand the value of a happy workforce, but Booz Allen certainly does.

HRM. Why is work-life balance so important to Booz Allen?
SSC. The work-life balance is a critical component of our firm’s value proposition to our staff. In turn, the implementation of that value proposition through flexible policies and practices is crucial to allowing us to fulfill our mission of being the ‘Employer of Choice’ in the marketplace. Given the firm’s historical and expected growth, it is critical that we support – in our actions as well as our words – programs that allow us to attract and retain the best talent.

HRM. Do you think enterprises suffer when they refuse to acknowledge and encourage this work-life balance?
SSC. A sustainable work-life balance nurtures employees’ creativity and productivity – important traits in an idea-driven industry like consulting. Companies that cannot or do not allow their employees to find a sustainable work-life balance will suffer because their employees will be less creative, less productive, and less motivated to excel. While it is one thing to have policies on paper, it is another thing to put them into practice. We understand that managers face an ongoing struggle to balance client requirements and deliverables with their staff’s personal and professional needs; however, it is important that they consider the long-term benefits that can be achieved with levers like work-life balance, rather than focusing solely on the short-term requirements.

HRM. Can you tell us more about Booz Allen’s flexible work arrangements?
SSC. Booz Allen recognizes that individuals have commitments outside of work that may require them to have flexibility in their work schedules. Our Flexible Work Arrangement policy provides staff options for flexible full-time scheduling, job sharing, part-time employment and teleworking. This culture of flexibility allows staff to more easily balance their professional and personal commitments, and increases employees’ overall satisfaction with the firm. This adds value to the business because satisfied employees perform better and are less likely to leave the firm, which in turn improves our client service and impact.

HRM. Of Fortune’s 82 Best Companies that allow employees to telecommute or work at home at least 20 percent of the time, you have one of the highest percentages of telecommuters – 54 percent of your staff work from home. Why did you decide to implement that scheme?
SSC. Advanced technologies make it possible for our employees to stay connected and work effectively almost anywhere. Since providing this option allows us to recruit and retain staff that for a variety of reasons cannot work from an office or client location every day, it was easy to decide to implement a telework policy. Our policy, which allows staff to work at a location other than an official Booz Allen office or client facility with advanced approval from their manager, can be used formally or informally. We know our staff appreciates the firm’s acknowledgement that life is dynamic and requires flexibility to manage their personal and professional lives in a manner that works best for them and their families.

HRM. How important is maintaining diversity in your workplace? What does it add to the enterprise?
SSC. Diversity is a core value at Booz Allen, and we affirm our role as an industry leader in attracting, retaining and valuing talented and diverse employees. We believe that diversity is linked to positive business results because our business is driven by ideas, and diverse teams lead to more diverse ideas. In addition, valuing staff of all types increases loyalty, motivation, and productivity of our diverse staff. We put our philosophy into practice by incorporating diversity competencies into our assessment system, and by mentoring and training staff to develop the skills necessary to work effectively with team members and clients in increasingly diverse environments.

HRM. In more general terms, how does HR add value to the enterprise?
SSC. As a provider of professional consulting services, we rely solely on people. Our HR team strives to understand our staff and what motivates them, as well as Booz Allen’s business and what we are trying to achieve for our clients. HR not only provides critical foundational support to the operations of our business, but our HR Business Partners also work closely with our senior business leaders to provide proactive advice and counsel on employee strategies that will help the firm meet larger strategic objectives.

HRM. Looking more to the future of Booz Allen Hamilton, what HR initiatives or improvements do you have in the pipeline?
SSC. To support our expected future growth, Booz Allen is focusing on building its pipeline of future leaders and preparing to welcome and nurture the next generation of talent. We are actively developing front line leaders to ensure they have the requisite skills, knowledge and motivation to engage market leaders, clients and staff in the future. In addition, we are looking to proactively position our firm to deal with the retirement of baby boomers and address the needs of the next generations of employees. Our goal is to establish a work environment and value proposition that attracts talent, builds loyalty to our firm, leverages technology effectively and integrates staff of all generations into a cohesive unit to bring the best talent and solutions to our clients.