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Baringa Partners Is Not Your Average Consulting Firm
Emily Moore
Emily Moore, Author at Glassdoor UK | 1 Feb 2017
Management consulting can often evoke an image of tightly wound business people in 3-piece suits, large, faceless corporations and hierarchical structures. But at Baringa Partners, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Although it’s now a 500+ person organisation, the company still operates as if it were a small, nimble startup made up of friends and family members.
And that’s not just talk — with an overall rating of 4.6, 96% approval of their CEO, 100% of employees willing to recommend the company to a friend, and several workplace awards under their belt, Baringa employees back those statements up. We recently chatted with Adrian Bettridge, Managing Partner of Baringa and David Harris, Partner and Head of People to discuss what makes their company so unique — here are a few highlights from our conversation.
Not Your Average Consulting Firm
The difference between Baringa and the average consulting firm starts at their very core. Everything Baringa does is based on five core values: quality, ownership, collaboration, passion and integrity.
“These aren’t just words on a website or a poster hanging in our office. They’re part of who we are,” Bettridge said. “Our values run through so many things. For example, we have a section on the interview form where people specifically look for those values, and we give out internal awards to the employees who best represent them.”
Baringa’s structure is also unique. Of over 500 employees, 55 are partners — meaning that for every 10 employees, there’s one partner. Because of this, leadership is accessible and lends an open ear to everybody.
“When you get hired at one of the big firms, a lot of the time they’re filling a slot. Here, we ask ‘What kind of business do you love doing?’ Client work is assigned to those with the expertise and passion to do the role, not by seniority,” Harris said.
Power to the People
It’s no surprise, then, that Baringa employees have a big impact on how the business operates.
“We’re a business that is constantly growing, adapting and evolving. If I get a suggestion from an employee on how to make it better, why wouldn’t I take that?” Harris said.
“There’s a real sense of ownership,” Bettridge added. “People feel like they can shape our future. We sometimes have pizza, beer and big ideas nights where recently about 200 people gathered over several evenings to discuss the vision for Baringa in 2025. We talk about what the best consulting business will look like 10 years out, and what we need to do to get there.”
Employees don’t just have a say in how the company operates externally. Believe it or not, many of their internal HR practices have been shaped by employees. For example, employees helped Baringa management institute a policy where every two weeks you work away from home, you earn more money and more time off. Baringa have also just announced the introduction of the ‘Brighter People Fund’ where employees enjoy £300 to use on improving their whole self, whether that means sessions with a gym instructor, learning Spanish or taking a wine tasting course. And, as another example, their 3-4-5 policy ensures that of their five-day workweek, consultants only spend four days at a client’s office with the fifth at home, so they only have to spend three nights total away from home.
A Company Where Everyone is Welcome
Perks are great, but Baringa leadership knows that even more important is company culture. As such, creating a company culture that welcomes everyone is paramount. That’s why Baringa Balance, the company’s diversity and inclusion program, strives to create an organisation that reflects the diversity of the U.K. as a whole.
“We want our employees to bring a variety of skills and talents to the workforce, so we’re absolutely committed to attracting and developing talent of all races, genders, abilities and personalities. We’ve been making really positive strides, particularly with the balance between men and women throughout our organisation,” Bettridge said.
But the key here is not just having diverse employees, but also making them feel welcome — regardless of their background.
“In order to genuinely be the best you can be, you need to be able to bring your whole self to work, and at Baringa we do everything we can to enable that,” Harris said. “People are our greatest asset.”
Interested in applying to this world-class, people-focused organisation? Check out their open jobs here.
DISCOVER: Baringa interview questions and reviews
The difference between Baringa and the average consulting firm starts at their very core. Everything Baringa does is based on five core values: quality, ownership, collaboration, passion and integrity.
“These aren’t just words on a website or a poster hanging in our office. They’re part of who we are,” Bettridge said. “Our values run through so many things. For example, we have a section on the interview form where people specifically look for those values, and we give out internal awards to the employees who best represent them.”
Baringa’s structure is also unique. Of over 500 employees, 55 are partners — meaning that for every 10 employees, there’s one partner. Because of this, leadership is accessible and lends an open ear to everybody.
“When you get hired at one of the big firms, a lot of the time they’re filling a slot. Here, we ask ‘What kind of business do you love doing?’ Client work is assigned to those with the expertise and passion to do the role, not by seniority,” Harris said.
Power to the People
It’s no surprise, then, that Baringa employees have a big impact on how the business operates.
“We’re a business that is constantly growing, adapting and evolving. If I get a suggestion from an employee on how to make it better, why wouldn’t I take that?” Harris said.
“There’s a real sense of ownership,” Bettridge added. “People feel like they can shape our future. We sometimes have pizza, beer and big ideas nights where recently about 200 people gathered over several evenings to discuss the vision for Baringa in 2025. We talk about what the best consulting business will look like 10 years out, and what we need to do to get there.”
Employees don’t just have a say in how the company operates externally. Believe it or not, many of their internal HR practices have been shaped by employees. For example, employees helped Baringa management institute a policy where every two weeks you work away from home, you earn more money and more time off. Baringa have also just announced the introduction of the ‘Brighter People Fund’ where employees enjoy £300 to use on improving their whole self, whether that means sessions with a gym instructor, learning Spanish or taking a wine tasting course. And, as another example, their 3-4-5 policy ensures that of their five-day workweek, consultants only spend four days at a client’s office with the fifth at home, so they only have to spend three nights total away from home.
A Company Where Everyone is Welcome
Perks are great, but Baringa leadership knows that even more important is company culture. As such, creating a company culture that welcomes everyone is paramount. That’s why Baringa Balance, the company’s diversity and inclusion program, strives to create an organisation that reflects the diversity of the U.K. as a whole.
“We want our employees to bring a variety of skills and talents to the workforce, so we’re absolutely committed to attracting and developing talent of all races, genders, abilities and personalities. We’ve been making really positive strides, particularly with the balance between men and women throughout our organisation,” Bettridge said.
But the key here is not just having diverse employees, but also making them feel welcome — regardless of their background.
“In order to genuinely be the best you can be, you need to be able to bring your whole self to work, and at Baringa we do everything we can to enable that,” Harris said. “People are our greatest asset.”
Interested in applying to this world-class, people-focused organisation? Check out their open jobs here.
DISCOVER: Baringa interview questions and reviews
Emily Moore
Tags:Best Places to Work
