Best career move I ever made - IT Consultant Ferguson Consulting Employee Review

We would like to first respond by saying that we value this forum and what it provides to the public. It is an important tool that monitors the integrity of the market. And, Ferguson Consulting sincerely cares what perceptions are circulating. So, to this individual we say, thank you for the feedback and your concern. Here is our response: 1.Our total compensation package (pay, benefits, paid-time-off, training, etc.) continues to exceed the competition’s for every skill category. Facts are, the people we hire have come in at an increased compensation level for 20 years now. Possibly the referrals were only compensated for billed hours in their current situation and were without any benefits or paid-time-off? So, when you add our rich benefit plan (see company website for details) and paid-time-off to the equation, the paid hourly wage is effectively higher? 2. True, our benefits plan is not optional. About 5 years ago, we grandfathered the employees that were being paid billable hours only and started offering only fully benefitted, salaried employment. We found that the people who chose hourly employment status in the first 15 years required ongoing and regular changes to their benefits plan. And, more often than not, they were less accepting of practicing our Best Practices and mentoring. Additionally, we have more leverage in benefit negotiations with a larger pool- effectively helping the greater pool of employees. Perhaps most importantly, an hourly employee in most situations will not meet the Federal Government’s standards for limiting the clients’ exposure to co-employment claims from our employee - whether that contract employee is W-2 status or 1099. 3. Fact - Ferguson has never made more or less money based on how each employee is compensated. Not ever. In the entire history of this company, our gross margin and operating profit has remained the same regardless of your technical skill set, capability, immigration status, gender, race, employment status, etc. It was, and remains for the grandfathered employees being paid billable hours only, an exact match on gross margin and operating profit. Our company continues to face a very difficult operating environment. Among the challenges are a global recession, stagnant wages, delayed customer payments, tight credit and the ever increasing cost of doing business. We are dealing with these challenges by cutting overhead, cutting executive pay and shopping policies. We are always getting better at operating smarter, more efficiently, and creatively to provide increased value to our employees, clients and business. Though we can't control the market, we always try to make the most of it. In closing, we want to tell you that we are not similar to any other local IT consulting company. Many do it more successfully - if you measure success by revenue or headcount. However, no one will treat you as well or be more devoted to your career development than Ferguson. That is a promise. We are passionate about what we do. And, we take great pride in who we are, what we do, and how we do it. We know there are a hundred local companies to choose from. We are not an IT pop-up shop; many are just an external payroll company passing through headcount. We take great pride in what IT consulting is supposed to be. We love IT and we love this industry and the real value we bring to our clients. When you work for Ferguson, you are joining an exceptional group of professionals. And, we are committed to making this the best place for serous IT professionals to work. Again, we sincerely appreciate the feedback. Hopefully this response illuminates some facts or issues that perhaps were not considered. If so, then we would encourage anyone with doubts to give us another look.