kglobal Reviews

3.1

45% would recommend to a friend

(39 total reviews)

Randy DeCleene

Not enough data to show CEO approval

40% positive business outlook

kglobal has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 39 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The kglobal employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Management and consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

39 reviews
1.0
7 Oct 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you are one of the partners' favorites, they will pay you well. But considering how petty they are, don't count on this. They do have a few interesting clients.

Cons

Similar to the other true negative reviews, the main issue with kglobal is the leadership. All three partners are incompetent and worse, they are apathetic about the company and work, and will actively root against you. If you are looking for a job, there is no future here. One of the partners in particular, claims she is for women empowerment, but actively throws strong female employees (and others) under the bus. She has threatened two former employees by stating to the company and to clients that she was going to call their new place of work to get them to rescind their offer. She will threaten current employees that other agencies are worse and state that she will not be a positive recommendation for those that have left on good terms and reached out. She frequently tells employees that she "hates mentoring/managing." To put it shortly, the position and salary they may promise you is not worth the toxic work culture that permeates the company and the lack of leadership to grow your career. I believe the CEO and owner of the company is a good person, yet he believes the tales the partners spin him. If he were to take a more active role and investigate the issues thoroughly, I believe it would be a different place, but unfortunately, I don't foresee that happening.

1.0
25 May 2019

Keep Looking

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are some talented young professionals at kglobal. Unfortunately, it's negated by the lack of ability and introspection, the naive self-assurance that there's a focus on professional development, and an unwillingness to adapt by the mid-level management and Partners. The location is nice (DuPount Circle), but the office is definitely not. They do provide some freedom for entry-level employees, but you're almost guaranteed to get overwhelmed with dull work right away and not have room for anything other than churning and burning. So it almost doesn't matter.

Cons

The leadership is awful. The three Partners all have their strengths and weaknesses as far as the actual work product, but they constantly argue and complain about each other, the lower level employees, and their boss—to EVERYONE in the company. There is absolutely no self-awareness the impact this has on morale, and no willingness to look at processes to try to fix the toxic culture. I've never worked at a company where employee morale is such a low priority. I hope you make a good first impression, because if not, you're done. This stems from a lack of motivation and management know-how. The Partners ignore their management responsibilities, and don't see anything wrong with that. It's someone else's problem. The pay is low. The best clients left along with the talented employees. Now it's all trade associations, federal work, and small organizations. This will do nothing for your resume. The Partners' ability to hire is SHOCKINGLY bad. And their willingness to move on from poor hires is equally so. There's an unhealthy preference for hiring people within their personal networks. It's laughable how this NEVER worked out over the entire course of my time there. You won't develop the skills you need to succeed because of a lack of mentorship guidance (and frankly, not many people know what they're doing, but are unwilling to try harder).

3.0
12 Jan 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

kglobal entry/mid-level staff is the best part of the firm. they are talented and ambitious individuals destined for bright futures. kglobal does a great job of identifying talent; however, toxic upper-level management drains the life out of employees which results in low morale and frustration. pre-covid kglobal held monthly brown bags and encouraged junior staff to participate in seminars and workshops. the firm does a good job of encouraging professional growth.

Cons

kglobal's ceo does not believe in covid, so prepare to come to work (or be guilted for not coming). for a pr/pa firm based in DC, there was no internal communication around social justice or covid, although we spent many hours counseling and writing statements for clients. there is zero effort for DEI, and no upper level (CEO/partner) interest in becoming a better firm through inclusion, or acknowledging inclusion is an area that needs improvement. DEI is only a concern for RFPs, and there is little priority to recruit diverse students for internships. there were shady hiring practices specifically for POC causing an internal HR investigation and resulted in partners and managers needing hiring and diversity training. this initiative was quickly brushed under the rug and never happened. (i will note the partner responsible is no longer part of the firm; however, DEI is still a major improvement area.) the potential the client list is a bag of mixed nuts, not surprising since kglobal doesn't have an identifiable niche or practice area. they are carving out a section in energy/tech, so there is potential for the firm to rebrand and do well there. some teams encourage BD from all levels and will help with proposals and guidance for growing business. there are no real success metrics, little or no accountability for progress, and many decisions are based on emotion and not strategic thinking. if kglobal holds all staff levels accountable via structured check-ins and metrics the firm will grow and better develop staff at all levels. in a nutshell: pay is fair, and the team is a very social bunch, so many people keep in touch outside of the office. you'll learn a lot if you apply yourself and look for opportunities. acknowledging internal areas of opportunity will make the firm stronger, make employees happy, and ultimately retain talent and clients.

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kglobal Response
5y
Thank you for your input based upon your personal experience at kglobal. We certainly understand how you felt about the company during your time with us. Let me assure you that the firm has made great strides in addressing and correcting the issues you have raised since you left. Please know that we value and embrace diversity and inclusion and we are already in the process of implementing new programs and standards of which you would be proud. Be well and know that we welcome feedback that helps us be a stronger and better place to work for all. Gene Grabowski
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