Remote Consulting: The Change in a Consultant’s Work Life

In management consulting, it was common for consultants to work on-site with clients for a long time. Projects were typically carried out in small teams – and in the client’s office. This allowed you to work closely with the client team, respond quickly, build trust, and focus entirely on the challenges at hand. Everything was designed to ensure you spent as much time as possible with the client. The downside: a lot of flights, a lot of hotel nights – in short: living out of a suitcase.

A good example from the Middle East illustrates this well: Until 2020, many consulting firms had their offices in Dubai, the largest city in the region. However, only a few consultants actually worked there; most were deployed in cities like Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, or neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia (e.g., Riyadh, Jeddah), Qatar, Kuwait, or Oman. The typical weekly routine: flying out very early on Monday (or Sunday), going straight to the client’s office, working there until Wednesday – then flying back to Dubai in the evening. Thursday was spent either in the office in Dubai or working from home. This model was the norm for many years.

Then came 2020 – and with the pandemic, everything changed. Air travel came to a standstill, and in-person meetings were hardly possible anymore. As a result, one of the most important pillars of consulting was put to the test: working directly on-site with clients. Instead, remote work took over – bringing many changes to the everyday life of consultants. Let’s take a look at what exactly changed, step by step.

Remote Work in Management Consulting

Remote work in management consulting meant much more than just a change in work location. It changed how consultants communicate with clients, collaborate within teams, and organize their daily routine. This transformation had many facets – here are the most important ones:

• Flexible location: Many consultants worked from anywhere – often from home to be closer to family. Traveling to the client or office was no longer necessary (and often even not allowed).
• Flexible working hours: 9-to-9 turned into 7-to-11 – with calls at lunch, in the evening, or even on weekends. The commute? 10 seconds. Household, family, and work merged. For example, BCG introduced a 2-hour flexible time window that could be used as needed.
• More tech, less face-to-face: Meetings turned into Zoom calls, whiteboards became camera sketches. Tools like Trello or Miro quickly became standard. And yes – muting the microphone became the most important skill. 😄
• Client contact redefined: Clients had to get used to digital formats. In-person meetings were replaced by quick daily check-ins. Trust had to be built virtually – something new for many.
• Culture shift: Trust, responsibility, and initiative became even more important. No one saw when you were working – only the result counted. Those who were well-organized thrived in remote work.

Evolution of the New Normal

The pandemic didn’t only bring short-term changes to the consulting world – many developments continue to shape the industry today:

• More targeted travel: While most of 2020 and 2021 was fully remote, travel started increasing again towards the end of 2021 – but in a much more selective way. Some clients still preferred virtual collaboration, while others – like in the Middle East – insisted on on-site presence for strategically important projects or direct alignment with senior leadership.
• Decentralized office structures: Especially in the Middle East, the pandemic broke up the centralized model focused on Dubai. New, well-equipped offices emerged in places like Riyadh and Doha. Local recruitment increased, improving physical proximity to clients and reducing travel – despite higher organizational effort.
• Hybrid models as the new standard: Consulting firms established flexible models that combine remote work, office presence, and client meetings effectively. This shift was more than just a logistical matter – it reflected a cultural change where individual needs and client requirements were better considered.
• More efficient access to experts: Previously, involving subject matter experts meant expensive travel and full-day presence. Now, most collaboration happens remotely. This saves costs and allows access to more expertise simultaneously – sometimes as many as eight experts were involved in projects at once.
• Sustainability in focus: Fewer business trips also mean less CO₂ emissions. Consulting firms used this shift to speak more credibly about ESG topics – both internally and with clients. The balance between remote work and targeted travel became a strategic question.

Pros and Cons of Remote Consulting

The pandemic brought about numerous changes, with both advantages and challenges for management consulting:

👍 Advantages of the new working model:

1. Less travel: A clear advantage for many, especially those living with their families – less travel means more time at home.
2. Organizational agility: Global companies can now hire consultants from anywhere without worrying about work permits or travel delays. We can work from our home office locations and no longer need to constantly travel to client offices. This makes us more flexible and simplifies collaboration with international teams and clients.
3. Improved client capabilities: Remote work has also forced many digitally challenged clients to improve their tech skills. This results in fewer technical difficulties and time lost during meetings, which boosts efficiency.

👎 Disadvantages of the new working model:

1. Less travel: For those who cherished their frequent flyer miles, this is a loss – and now you have to pay for your vacations yourself. An unfortunate side effect.
2. Collaboration complexity: The new ways of working bring challenges, not just in logistics, but also in maintaining teamwork and creativity. The lack of personal interaction makes it harder to build relationships with clients or foster a strong team spirit. The spontaneous “shoulder-to-shoulder” work has been replaced by planned short meetings and digital communication.
3. Roles and responsibilities: As communication with clients is now almost exclusively remote, coordination often relies more on the project manager. Previously, you could quickly go to the client’s desk to discuss something – now, much of this goes through the manager, which makes it harder to build personal relationships.
4. Training: Training and development have suffered. Instead of week-long workshops in exciting locations, there are now only short 2-hour Zoom meetings. The experience and deeper learning are lost in the process.

Conclusion

Consulting has changed more in the last five years than in the previous 100. Who would have thought that a pandemic would disrupt the workday in the industry so dramatically? What was once defined by personal interactions and client meetings on-site is now a mix of remote work, hybrid models, and digital tools. But what has this meant for us as consultants? Well, it’s been a true rollercoaster of opportunities and challenges.

On the positive side, the flexibility of working from home and the ability to work more remotely has finally brought us a better work-life balance. Travel is no longer the norm, and for many of us, that’s definitely a plus. But there are also downsides: Teamwork, being together in person, and spontaneous idea generation have sadly fallen by the wayside. The client relationship suffers when you can no longer just pop over to discuss something. And training doesn’t have the same effect on Zoom calls as it did in a shared workshop.

What does consulting need now? Innovation – and continuously. We need to find new ways to maintain client orientation, teamwork, and knowledge transfer, even as the work environment continues to evolve. The consulting industry will continue to develop, that much is clear. But how it evolves and which trends truly take hold remains to be seen. One thing is for sure: The future of consulting is as dynamic as ever – and we’re just at the beginning of this new era.