Vault’s Verdict

In the sphere of healthcare provider consulting, one expects compassion and empathy to be intrinsic to the core values of a firm. Few respondents to our survey are so genuinely ebullient about their firm’s empathy, though, as The Chartis Group’s employees. A consultancy doing important work in the healthcare delivery space, the same qualities required to meaningfully serve their clients are front-and-center in the way The Chartis Group treats its people. As one employee said, “We are all encouraged by leadership to be genuinely good to each other and express our empathy openly.”

In response to questions about the firm’s business outlook, employees overwhelmingly mentioned Covid-19—more so than many other firms do, even in the healthcare industry. It’s this editor’s opinion that the focus on the firm’s standing within the pandemic comes from the transparency and steadfast management of The Chartis Group’s leadership. Insiders describe clear communication, honesty in level-setting expectations, and frequent updates on the firm’s financials and the impact of the pandemic on client engagements. This has helped boost employee morale and optimism for the future.

Firm Culture

• “As much as they have grown over the past several years—you still feel part of the fabric of the firm and our impact in the healthcare industry is felt deeply.”
• “Ask any other Chartisan how Chartis handled the impact of COVID, and they'll be quite candid that it was the most respectable, transparent experience possible.”
• “Culture hands down [is the best aspect]. There is a very open and familial nature to the firm, which is a conscious effort to help make EVERYONE feel like they are welcomed and not just another number.”
• “Our culture is unique and truly special. We are a family that cares for each other. When the pandemic hit healthcare and healthcare consulting firms cut staff, we all decided to take [temporary] pay cuts so that we could keep everyone's positions. That's different from [other firms]. We care for each other; we spend time asking ourselves how we can advance our firm mission to materially improve the delivery of healthcare in the world. Check in these responses how many people can actually say their firm's mission phrase verbatim. We live and breathe the mission every day.”
• “This is a great place to work with leaders who care about their people. The work is challenging, but our clients are great, and the projects are interesting and require constant growth and curiosity.”
• “We are all encouraged by leadership to be genuinely good to each other and express our empathy openly. This is embodied by the CEO and other higher-level members of the firm and my favorite factor about my job. It is hard to imagine finding another organization with the ability to combine empathy and professionalism as Chartis.”

Quality of Life

• “The best [aspect] is that they encourage open discussions with project teams about work/life considerations, and the teams are expected to respect everyone's work/life challenges whenever possible. The worst [aspect] is that the firm has too many unwritten rules that it takes a while to understand as a new person.”
• “Quality of life is what you make it in a top-tier consulting firm. We all work hard, but intense travel and hours isn't mandated; it's typically chosen by the individual. We have all been working remotely through the pandemic, which for older consultants like me has offered an opportunity for more family and free time.”
• “Hours differ from project to project and even week to week depending on the scope of work. Overall, the firm tries very hard to make it manageable for everyone. I've found it easy and encouraged to take time off.”
• “The firm offers quarterly ‘wellbeing’ reimbursements that can be spent on anything from gym memberships to athletic footwear.  The firm also has a wellness committee that promotes activity events/challenges with prizes.”
• “We have a great, flexible stipend that allows people to expense health and wellness activities back to the firm. Our benefits lead has done a great job publishing information on various resources included with our other benefits as well. This, for me, has been really important.”
• “The vacation policy is fair and we are encouraged to take time off, but I think we could offer more vacation days…They do make up for it with firm holidays though, as we get the whole week from Christmas to New Year’s Day off.”

Career Development

• “The Chartis Group is an exceptional employer that provides ongoing, thoughtful opportunities for skills development to enhance your experience.  The mentoring program helps individuals draft goals that are incorporated into your individual development plan.  Project leaders use these plans to provide growth opportunities for team members.”
• “The firm has a very fair and robust approach to performance management and development. We have development leaders assigned to almost all employees, so they really help drive personal goals and professional development on an individualized basis. We could use a bit more external training, but overall the internal training is very well done.”
• “There is a strong focus on promoting learning opportunities, both through formal training as well as on projects. There is increasing collaboration between the firm's verticals, but not necessarily movement or flexibility.”
• “Chartis is very focused on providing both internal and external education opportunities. Internal training is excellent, meaningful, and relevant. I have never worked for a firm with this level of internal training.”
• “A well-structured, evolving, responsive development program with formal sessions at multiple key inflection points in one's career. Incorporates the best practitioners as instructors. Plenty of relevant skill development offered to all colleagues as well. Strong focus on diversity and inclusion cuts across all firm activities.”
• “Staffing decisions take holistic career development into consideration; promotion timelines tend to be slower than market averages, requiring consultants to essentially already be acting at the next level before the formal promotion.”

Compensation

• “The firm takes care to benchmark our pay appropriately with respect to the industry. There may be some pay disparities between practice areas that are not 100% clear.”
• “The best part of the compensation package is the merit increases each year. The worst aspect is a lower base salary than larger consulting firms.”
• “Quarterly wellness reimbursements and monthly phone stipend are very helpful. The 401K match could be better, but it is still strong.”
• “I find our compensation packages to be fair and competitive. We are continuously updating our practices based on market information and our colleagues' interests and needs.”
• “Compensation adjustments recently have positioned pay more closely to the market, recognizing you are taking a slight salary decrease here for a better quality of life. 401k match is behind industry standards as is the non-primary caregiver paternity leave.”
• “Salaries and salary progression are somewhat lower than what is offered at some competitors. Healthcare is top notch!”

Diversity

• “This is a firm that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. As such, we also appreciate that we are not perfect. We continue to work toward our aspirations, including being an anti-racist firm. We do struggle at times because many of us like to believe we are all of a similar mindset, so uncovering areas where that is not true can be somewhat challenging, but we continue to press forward.”
• “We have actively pushed diversity and inclusion in our recruitment practices, and while the hiring practices may still not be what we desire, I do believe we have expanded opportunities and access to minority candidates.”
• “We are an anti-racist firm. We have gone the extra mile to promote diversity and inclusion and have been on a multi-year journey working with an external firm to continue to advance our culture while also promoting diversity and inclusion among our clients. We regularly ask our clients during project meetings on how they can improve diversity in their workforce and how they can reduce disparities in health outcomes seen across racial groups in their region. I strongly believe we are leading the way among consulting firms on this dimension. It's not lip service or just corporate compliance like it might be at other firms—our leaders believe in the cause and actively promote it.”
• “The firm has been very open and transparent about our efforts to recruit a more diverse workforce, and these efforts have had noticeable effects on who we've been hiring. There is strong female representation across all levels of our company.”
• “Chartis has internal task forces and seeks external guidance on the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion efforts. During performance review cycles, someone from HR is present to ensure feedback that may be biased based on someone's demographics is checked during the review itself (e.g. female employee described as bossy rather than assertive).”
• “I think that we are differentiated in this regard. I know that our compensation practices are equitable (at least up to the Partner level from what I can tell), and we have real, honest, and open dialogues about diversity and inclusion.”

Outlook

• “Chartis works with C-suite executives at the leading health systems in the country. Given the rapidly changing healthcare industry, we are tackling new problems alongside our clients as trusted partners.”
• “COVID has challenged everyone and completely changed the landscape of the whole industry. However, I believe our firm is flexible enough to be strategically well equipped to weather the storm and find additional/new work opportunities as a result. However, the healthcare market in general is very impactful on overall consulting services as this is a natural cycle of the industry as regulations and demands change.”
• “Healthcare has been under pressure since COVID is impacting many aspects of the health system; although, this provides opportunities in other areas.  Our firm has focused on expanded services across all areas of healthcare to better service our clients.”
• “During the COVID pandemic, Chartis has been incredibly transparent with all colleagues about our positioning internally and in the market. This has stabilized employee morale during this uncertain time. Chartis has also taken several internal initiatives to support our clients as they navigate through the pandemic with uncertain outlooks. I believe Chartis leadership is positioning the firm to be an even stronger competitor in the healthcare consulting industry post-COVID.”
• “The last six months—with COVID-19—have certainly been trying; however, firm leadership did everything possible to ensure that the firm's most important resource—its people—has been well supported, remained stable, etc. This included taking financial measures that avoided layoffs/furloughs despite a temporary reduction in business, creation of internal projects to ensure that all individuals continued to have meaningful work and a true focus on connectivity and continued development of individuals during this difficult time. In addition, firm leaders have been incredibly transparent regarding the financial situation and associated plans and actions. It has been incredibly refreshing and reassuring.”
• “The firm developed a comprehensive plan in response to the COVID-19 effect on our revenue. The firm also provides frequent, timely updates on our financial outlook during the pandemic (and did that pre-pandemic as well).”

Hiring Process

• “We seek people with a natural sense of curiosity and ability to advocate for yourself. Our interview process is rigorous, but you have to have resiliency to be in consulting.”
• “We have excellent recruiters who will use multiple means to source candidates. Resumes received are screened for specific skill sets and are then screened by phone to discuss qualifications and fit for the team/firm. An ideal candidate would have the appropriate level of experience, professional demeanor, and demonstrate the characteristics of empathy and compassion. Embracing a philosophy of servant leadership is a plus.”
• “We interview people who show a strong interest in the firm and have proven that they are competent in various interactions. The firm's HR team is very fast at getting back to candidates with offers or notifications throughout the interview process.”
• “The firm's interview process is more intense than my experience in a Big 4 firm. Since they were founded as a strategy practice, the process is more similar to such a firm. There are multiple layers of phone interviews and case questions. All of this culminates in a half day in-person office interview where there are more intense data and analytics activities, case study questions including an interview by a practice principal.”
• “My firm is seeking either consulting experience, healthcare experience, or preferably both. They have found more success with candidates with consulting experience who are newer to the healthcare industry because they are better at synthesizing information and telling a story.”
• “Chartis seeks highly intelligent and motivated individuals who are also highly mission-driven and aligned with the firm’s values. The ideal candidate is passionate about bettering healthcare delivery.”

Interview Questions

• “What's the biggest problem in today's healthcare industry, and if you had a magic wand, what are three things or policy changes you would implement to improve them?”
• “We conduct a behavioral case study and an analytical case study.  For senior level recruits we conduct a panel where they have to pitch an idea or a concept (simulation of a client sales situation).”
• “Some case studies have a non-profit focus, and interviewers look for candidates who demonstrate an appreciation for non-profit clients.”
• “Our campus interview process typically includes 3 parts for the final interview. 1) Case Study 2) Behavioral interview and 3) Analytic exercise. Typically, all are about 45 minutes to 1 hour long. The analytic case is usually testing excel skills, particularly pivot tables.”
• “We delve into behavioral and scenario-based questions including cases that can range from scenario based to quite analytical.”