How flexible is the remote work policy in MBB ME?

Question

Hi all,

I’m currently exploring a potential opportunity at an MBB firm in the Middle East, and I’d love to hear from anyone with experience there.

A few things I’m curious about:

How often do you need to be on-site at the client or in the office?
Is remote work allowed, or do clients expect you to be present?
Are you allowed to work remotely from another country (with some jet lag)?
What are typical working hours like?
Any flexibility depending on team or project?

Would really appreciate any insights. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hi there,

The answer is it depends. May differ by client, by project, and by requirements of the role you’ll play. One cannot determine upfront, but you’re likely to be on client more often than not (unless you’re doing things like outside-in analysis or taking on a minimal client stakeholder Workstream/task). Beyond just clients, co-location is also good for team connectivity and quickly building that chemistry because you never really work with the same people repeatedly enough.

If you are pursuing remote projects, you might need to do a bit more networking within the firm you’ll join to get them…but these would be limited. At some stage, you’ll need to demonstrate your “client hands”, in-person project create that platform pretty well for client-facing roles.

Answer 2

Hi,

There is really no way to have an 'average' answer. The project and client will determine the working model.

For e.g. if you are on a due diligence, you may meet the client for readouts but 80% of the time you are working out of your home office
For e.g. if you are on a transformation, you will likely be at the client site the majority of the week
- And even on the days that you are not at the client site, there will be internal team meetings etc.

Lets put it this way - consulting is a people business. Whether it's external or internal - and honestly I wouldn't try and join and try and do the work remotely.. it really just doesn't work if you ask me.