How First Consulting maintains a close-knit culture without an office
First Consulting is a fast-growing, no-nonsense consulting organisation, with 300 employees internationally, including 20 people in the United Kingdom.
The consultancy focuses on resolving operational issues at clients across a range of sectors including energy & utilities, telecommunications, banking, insurance, manufacturing, infrastructure and retail. At the heart of this are the operational business processes of a customer, focusing on digitisation and enabling change in organisations. The firm operates without an office – consultants at the firm reflect on how First Consulting manages to maintain a close-knit culture.
First Consulting is broadly organised across three pillars: process, technology and implementation. Our consultants work across sectors and are encouraged to specialise in areas where their strengths and interests lie. This way, they keep growing in the direction that drives their careers. We bring together the right people for every project and create a team that is optimised in tackling specific issues. This variation ensures that everyone knows each other and fosters a close bond between all our colleagues.
We carefully select people for their fit with our DNA and believe that like-minded individuals come together more easily. We define ourselves according to a set of six core values: sharp, no-nonsense, daring, trust, together and fun. All of which our consultants emulate throughout everything they do: at work, with clients and socially. Our close-knit and open culture, and company DNA, provide a real point of difference.
So how do we maintain this culture without an office? Four drivers:
We work together
Together is one of our core values and is a major aspect of our day-to-day work.
- Not only do we locate ourselves at client sites to facilitate easy collaboration with project stakeholders, we also work with other First colleagues and as part of a team.
- Our consultants always work with at least one other consultant on a project. Whether it is travelling around London or the UK, or travelling further afield to the likes of Belgium, Boston, Dubai and Hong Kong, our consultants thrive on solving problems together.
- We encourage our consultants to adapt a growth mindset where everyone asks for and shares feedback. We believe this is essential to high performance on projects and is why working together remains a priority.
Collaborative working day
This is a busy and social day where the entire UK practice come together to work from a shared location.
- Collaborative working day occurs on the last Friday of every month.
- It is an excellent opportunity to catch up with colleagues and mentors over coffees to find out what they have been up to.
- Collaborative days are especially useful for sharing expertise and ideas; they are an opportunity for our colleagues to seek advice and collaborate with one another on their projects.
- It is also a good chance for committees such as the Social Committee, the Training Committee and the Media Committee to hold meetings and plan for the events in the upcoming months.
- The day is jam packed with project work, and of course it is followed by drinks and snacks come the weekend!
Busy social calendar
Aside from our summer and winter parties and our annual Winter Ski Trip, consultants at First meet up for a range of activities outside of work.
- Twice a year we join our colleagues in the Netherlands for our whole-company summer and winter parties.
- We also go on a ski weekend every January to have much-earned down time on the slopes!
- From a relaxing meal to high ropes courses and half-marathons, we meet up at least monthly outside of work to have some fun.
- This is a key part of our team mentality, allowing us get to know each other on a personal level away outside of our project work.
Training
Our consultants get together once a month for training sessions on a variety of topics ranging from core consulting skills to advanced trainings in specific areas.
- Training sessions provide an opportunity for our colleagues to get together midweek, outside of their projects, socials and collaboration days.
- The trainings enable colleagues to share their expertise using examples from their projects. This promotes discussion and information sharing between our consultants, which is especially important for fostering cross sector experience and expertise.
- Of course, no training session goes unfollowed by a few rounds of drinks!
See First Consulting’s company profile for more information on work and culture at the consultancy firm.
