Control Risks Reviews

I didn't think in 2016 there was a place that still was so outdated on their hiring practices and treatment of women and minorities. With a few exceptions I can count on one hand, the only women are in "traditional" corporate roles like HR and marketing, and the only black people are in the back office working on ops or finance. I worked there for several years and to my knowledge there are not any client-facing black people. In my time there I consistently heard conversations about women coworkers' bodies and behind-their-back nicknames based in someone's race, body type, or religion. As someone who doesn't consider themselves politically correct, who is not easily offended, and who can get along with a wide range of people, I often felt incredibly uncomfortable. Control Risks' does an incredible job of hiring the best and the brightest to staff their offices around the world, and then for some reason won't let those people run those offices or lead in much of a capacity. They instead send white British or American men to run the Latin America, Asia, or Africa offices. Despite a range of masters degrees and PhDs among the staff, there is rarely a citizen of that country running those offices. Finally, you can't discuss Control Risks with out mentioning the drinking. As someone who can take care of a bottle of wine on my own, never in a million years would I have thought that the drinking habits of a company would truly surprise me. The behavior that ensues is problematic--strip clubs, propositioning coworkers--but in line with what one would assume after working there for a while. What I found to be shocking is how entrenched it is as part of the culture, how it fuels the fratty atmosphere, and how it takes the everyday transgressions and magnifies these issues to define the company. Control Risks, more then most companies, is really big on "culture fit". And as long as that's a euphemism for young, white men who are all from the same club, enjoy a good laugh, are big drinkers, all have the same ideas, and don't object to misogyny or racism, then the company will proceed as it is now. But the optimist in me hopes that such ideas won't last long in this day and age.

- Work is boring and repetitive. They will try to entice you and claim to be the "industry leader" that gets "many interesting projects". But this is just a scam. The reports (by all departments) are basically boilerplate text. Some projects can also be considered dodgy and unethical. - Turnover rate is incredibly high. Company is hemorrhaging employees - I genuinely cannot remember how many people I have seen leave, be it by choice or as sacrificial lambs who get pushed out due to the incompetence of management. This company does not know how to retain talent. Everyone is just a replaceable number for them - Going against the norm is detrimental to your career. Management will always encourage you to speak up, and share your problems, issues etc. The moment you do, the responses are either "Oh I had no idea" or "This is out of my control I wish I can help but.." At the end of the day, all they care about is making money - and the well being of employees are really not valued one bit. I have seen so many people who speak up get ostracized and punished for it. So what happens? People lay low, keep quiet, and just continue the job hunt. - Enlightened leadership does not exist here. The place is being led by folks who only care about money. They care way more about their lavish partner retreats, about their sales targets and bonuses, than the well being of the people that work hard for them. We suffer, so so much, for their expat lifestyles, while they literally contribute nothing whatsoever. The behavior of management during the covid period especially, is really alarming. They are also willing to throw junior employees under the bus when things go wrong. - Last but not least: bamboo ceiling. If you are not male, if you are not white, forget about opportunities in leadership. If you are a non-white female, dont even bother. No one in the management is Asian, despite the whole existence of the office is to handle the Asian market.