Applicable to all BCG consulting staff, PTO promotes personal sustainability while also enhancing the sense of personal accomplishment and supporting career development. More than 75 percent of our people who have experienced PTO feel it has improved their long-term sustainability at BCG.
At its core, the consulting profession has a high level of intensity. Much of this intensity is "good" (working on tough problems to create meaningful change for clients), and it is part of what makes the work interesting and challenging. But there can also be "bad" intensity (such as unpredictable hours or low-value work).
Quite simply, PTO enhances the "good" intensity that comes with a consulting career, while reducing the "bad" intensity. It ensures that predictable time off is incorporated into our work, giving our people more control of their personal lives. And at the same time, it helps us provide a more rewarding professional experience by forcing our teams to focus on the most important issues.
We strive to create a career path that is both intellectually and professionally rewarding, and the overall impact of PTO is clear as we continue to implement the program throughout BCG. Our internal analysis of PTO shows improvements of 30 percent or more in areas such as team efficiency/effectiveness, job satisfaction, and work-life balance, as well as significant improvements in value delivery, work process and planning, communication, and learning and development.
Inherent in our PTO model is a process of open communication, regular check-ins with the dedicated PTO facilitator, and opportunities to receive individual coaching in a private setting. It is a method of professional development that you will not find anywhere else, so it's no wonder that 94 percent of our people feel that PTO creates a competitive advantage for BCG in recruiting and retaining the best people.