I’ve been at an MBB firm for less than a year and need to take medical leave. Any experience with something like this? Curious how it impacts career development committees especially in this economic environment. Afraid of being transitioned

Hi,

I've known of people who have taken an extended period of leave (whether medical or personal) - and it will not impact your career progression

• Likely you will be given a Leave of Absence (LOA) - this means you are not billable/part of the staffing pool, and thus this duration does not count towards your tenure count
• Any decisions regarding transition etc will only be based on the time that you were billable i.e. part of the staffing pool
• The only impact it will have is how ‘fast’ you get promoted based on absolute time relative your peers, meaning to say if it takes on average 2 years to get promoted from an Associate to Senior Associate, if you took 6 months LOA, you would have taken 2.5 years to get promoted in absolute time (because of 2 years of billable work + 6 months of LOA)

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear about the medical issue and hope you can have a speedy recovery. In terms of your question:

Q: I’ve been at an MBB firm for less than a year and need to take medical leave. Curious how it impacts career development committees especially in this economic environment.

Assuming it is going to be a break for a few months, I don’t think this is going to have any specific impact long-term. If it is feasible for you given the situation, you might also use the time off to prepare for your next steps in terms of career (eg GMAT for an MBA application).

Hope you get well soon,

Francesco

Hi,

Sorry to read that, I really hope that you will get well soon.

From my past experience in MBB, it should not have a specific impact on your carrier, except the time to the next promotion (which is fair). Normally MBBs are used to that and want to take care of their talents.

Cheers,

You will be fine. After all health is more important than career. MBB is very understanding in my experience & acknowledge the above. 

All the best,

Andreas

Hi there,

your health comes first and if you need to take medical leave you have to take it, regardless of what the company says. 

That said, consulting firms are usually pretty flexible in this regard and are interested in retaining their talents. Since it's all project work, it is easy to remove oneself for a while without any real impacts on the company because as a consultant you don't hold a day-to-day operational role.

Best is to talk with your HR contact to learn about the details when it comes to medical leave at your firm and what perks you are still eligible for during that time.

Understandably so, your promotion timeframe will be pushed back because you are not gaining relevant experience during your absence from the job. However, that should not be held against you in an ‘up or out’ type of way. 

Hope you get well soon

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation, and hope your health gets better soon. You should absolutely take care of yourself. In my experience, MBB is understanding and flexible with medical leave, and will be keen to retain you on your return. I recommend having a conversation with your professional development manager or a trusted mentor. But if you need to take medical leave, that's absolutely understandable, and there should not be any repercussions.

Hi there,

Please don't worry!

MBB is very understanding and attuned to health. You will be ok.

Talk to them, explain the situation, they will give you the time you need and you should be able to return without an issue.

Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Hi there,

First of all, I am sorry to hear about your medical situation!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, I would highly advise you not to worry, since (strategy consulting) companies are normally quite caring about their employees' health.
• Moreover, in order to ensure that your leave of absence due to medical reasons does not come off badly with anybody, I would advise you to be transparent about your situation in general with both HR and your colleagues.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there, 

Very sorry to hear. 

The evaluation committee takes this into account. The Partner that is responsible for presenting your case will most likely provide this context as part of your assessment. 

Play the long game - don't worry about promotions or how an issue like this will affect your track in the firm. Just make sure that you get better. Nobody will fire you for being sick. 

Hope you feel better soon!
Cristian