US Centered consulting firm playing to be international - Anonymous employee J.S. Held Employee Review

3.0
Jul 9, 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Company in LATAM has basic benefits. - Company is growing globally at a fast pace fueled by private equity money. Many acquisitions in the past years. Mostly in the US. - Company is adding new services to its portfolio every year. Primarily in the US. - Very well positioned with Insurance clients in the countries it operates in.

Cons

- US centered (leadership is all American). Absolutely no interest in Latin America. Recently shut down operations in Mexico and Panama for one of their practices. - They operate a Shared Services Center (sort of a sweat shop) out of Medellin, Colombia, and one in Delhi, India. No real interest in growing their market share in the region. They have a team of 5 or so in Chile, and 10 in Mexico. All the rest of their LATAM employees are in support functions for the US. - Bonuses lack a clear policy. - Zero to no collaboration between offices or practices. "Every man to himself" seems to be the work culture. Senior staff operate in silos as there are no origination incentives for selling or sharing projects. If you sell a project for another practice, then you will get no recognition for doing so. The company doesn't even track origination. - Practices are bundled up together under Divisions, that have division leads with very specific consulting expertise (assigned to an specific practice) and little to no managerial skills. As a result, these leaders have little to no knowledge/interest in those other practices that fall underneath them, making them very limited in terms of overall strategy. - The firm is the typical US centered firm that believes the world works as the US or it has to work as the US, making it poorly fit to run an international business. No idea how to handle income in different currencies, for example. - Company is run by a family, without a planned succession plan. Many decisions are taken with the stomach. - Hires are discretional, HR has very little role in employee hires and growth paths. Professional Growth in this sense is very limited.

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J.S. Held Response
2y
We take our team members' professional development and personal growth seriously, regardless of what country they work in. Our talent is our most valuable asset, and we derive pay from data-driven, industry-leading models to provide competitive compensation for the valuable talent our team members provide. J.S. Held is a global firm and we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace for all employees from different cultures, countries, and backgrounds.

Explore other reviews about J.S. Held

5.0
Apr 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good culture and has good benefits

Cons

takes a long time to get any new software approved

1.0
Jun 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Was hybrid with 1-day in office. Office was really nice. They provided free food.

Cons

Micro-managing like no other. Impossible to understand assignments and or be on the same page as supervisor. EVERYONE is related to each other in one way or another. Normally this would not be an issue, but there is no upwards progression unless you were a family or family-adjacent. Necessary processes for bonus eligibility, such as performance reviews, were inconsistent, unclear, and sloppy. Awful work life balance and your managers ensure to pass off their bad mood to you. The worst communication practices. Job role and duties are completely unusable if you are attempting to move out of Forensic Economics. Their HR is despicable and not there to help their employees.

1
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J.S. Held Response
4w
We appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to hear diverse perspectives from individuals who have worked with us. Thank you for your positive comments about the office and the hybrid structure, as we strive to provide a flexible work environment. We take concerns related to management, communication, career progression, and workplace practices seriously and regularly evaluate our approach to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment across teams. As with any professional environment, feedback is essential. Team members have access to multiple avenues to raise concerns including having open dialogue with their managers, reporting through our secure and anonymous ethics and compliance hotline located on the intranet homepage, emailing HR@jsheld.com, and reporting through other formal avenues so that each scenario can be reviewed, and team members feel heard and supported.
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