Uncertain outlook, need to focus on long term execution and improve stability
Pros
The company is European based and offers opportunities for international mobility. Capgemini Invent’s rates are below that of peers which gives room for wage and personal growth if the company can reverse course.
Cons
The biggest and most immediate issue is the lack of stability within the practice. 20% of employees were laid off in 2022/2023 and the business outlook has not stabilized. I would not recommend Invent to any peers for this reason alone. So things aren’t great so what is the cause for this poor performance? 1. Very few of our offerings resonate with clients. We have weak sales materials without past projects and experience needed to qualify ourselves. Even with charge rates 30-40% below peers we still can’t close. We’ve acquired medium to small successful companies and we always force our sales BS onto them. 2. Executives are stealing right out of the pockets of our youngest talent. A lot to list here. Obviously all the money flows up to the Group but it seems there is a bit of a good old boy network going on within the French exec ranks. The majority of the North America E and F grade new hires cannot justify their salary based on their sales or ARVE. The company implemented a no travel policy but just prior execs were flying across US and internationally for non billable events. All of this means junior talent who have been fully utilized with good performance reviews are receiving below inflationary raises. 3. The company lacks the focus to execute over the long term. The company often flocks to do the easy tasks that generate exposure (PR articles, town halls, marketing ads, increased ERG publicity, sustainability focus) but doesn’t devote attention to the boring but critical tasks that are required to have stable operations. Thorough candidate evaluations, building client networks, maintaining accurate sales forecasts, mentoring talent, developing offerings are all areas where we continue to struggle. 4. Employees are detached from the company mission and values. Large stealth layoffs, unexpected RTO mandates, reorganizations/restructurings, compensation shortfalls have significantly altered trust employees have in management. Most of these decisions seem to have been made in a reactionary manner and without finesse.
