Deloitte UK Consulting Interview: Human Capital Case Study

德勤英国咨询面试：人力资本案例面试全解析

4 January 2025

7 min read

Anonymous Candidate

2025 Deloitte UK Consulting Interviewee

摘要 Summary

Deep dive into a Deloitte Consulting case interview focusing on employee retention at a UK department store, with the Employee Lifecycle framework.

德勤咨询案例面试深度剖析，聚焦英国百货公司员工保留问题，详解员工生命周期分析框架。

Interview Overview| 面试概述

Just finished my Deloitte Consulting interview, and it felt like an intellectual extreme challenge. I interviewed for the Human Capital practice, but the case was about a retail business—a true test of structured thinking and business acumen.

刚面完Deloitte的Consulting岗，感觉经历了一场智力上的极限挑战。我面的是Human Capital（人力资本）方向，但案例却是个零售业的问题，真的是全方位考察你的结构化思维和商业敏感度。

Case Background| 案例背景

Client Profile: A traditional British department store, similar to John Lewis or M&S. The Challenge: In recent years, impacted by e-commerce and emerging brands, the company's sales have been declining continuously and profits are getting thinner. To make matters worse, their Employee Turnover rate is abnormally high, especially among frontline sales staff.

客户画像：一家传统英国百货公司，类似John Lewis或M&S。面临挑战：近年来，受电商和新兴品牌冲击，公司销售额持续下滑，利润越来越薄。更糟糕的是，他们的员工流失率（Employee Turnover）异常高，尤其是一线销售人员。

The client wants us to help analyze: Why can't they retain people? And how can they improve Employee Engagement and Retention?

客户希望我们帮忙分析：为什么留不住人？以及如何提高员工敬业度（Employee Engagement）和保留率（Retention）？

My Problem-Solving Approach| 我的解题思路

This is a typical Human Capital case, but the root cause often lies in business operations. I decided to use a "Diagnosis → Recommendation" framework, focusing on the "Employee Lifecycle"—analyzing from the four stages of "Attract, Develop, Deploy, Retain."

这是一个典型的Human Capital案例，但根因往往在业务运营中。我决定用「诊断→建议」框架，聚焦「员工生命周期」——从「吸引、发展、部署、保留」四个阶段进行分析。

Part 1: Diagnosing the Problem| 第一部分：问题诊断

I told the interviewer: "High employee turnover is just a symptom. We need to dig deeper into what's going wrong throughout the employee lifecycle—from joining to leaving."

我跟面试官说：「员工流失率高只是表象。我们需要深挖员工从入职到离职的整个生命周期中，哪些环节出了问题。」

1. "Attract": Recruitment & Onboarding| 1. 「吸引」阶段：招聘与入职

Misaligned Hiring: Are the people we're hiring unsuitable from the start? Does our Job Description clearly describe the challenges of the work? Does our interview process effectively assess Cultural Fit?
招聘错位：我们招的人从一开始就不合适吗？我们的职位描述（Job Description）是否清晰地描述了工作的挑战？面试流程是否有效评估了文化契合度（Cultural Fit）？
Poor Onboarding: After new employees join, are they just thrown into the store to fend for themselves? Is there a structured Onboarding Program helping them quickly understand company culture, product knowledge, and sales skills?
入职体验差：新员工入职后，是不是就被扔到店里自生自灭了？有没有结构化的入职培训项目（Onboarding Program）帮助他们快速了解公司文化、产品知识和销售技能？

2. "Develop": Training & Development| 2. 「发展」阶段：培训与发展

Lack of Career Path: Do frontline sales staff feel their job "has no future"? Does the company provide a clear career development path? For example, from regular sales, to floor supervisor, to store manager.
缺乏职业发展路径：一线销售员是否觉得这份工作「没有前途」？公司是否提供了清晰的职业发展路径？比如，从普通销售，到楼层主管，到店长。
Outdated Training: Is our training content stuck at "how to smile and serve"? Are we teaching them how to use new digital tools (like CRM systems) to better serve customers?
培训内容过时：我们的培训内容是不是还停留在「如何微笑服务」？有没有教他们如何使用新的数字化工具（比如CRM系统）来更好地服务客户？

3. "Deploy": Performance & Rewards| 3. 「部署」阶段：绩效与激励

Uncompetitive Compensation: Where does our pay level sit in the industry? Beyond base salary, do our Commission and Bonus structures truly motivate top performers?
薪酬竞争力不足：我们的薪资水平在行业中处于什么位置？除了底薪，我们的提成（Commission）和奖金（Bonus）结构是否真正激励了优秀员工？
Unfair Performance Management: Does our performance evaluation only look at sales figures? Does it consider "soft metrics" like customer satisfaction and teamwork?
绩效管理不公平：我们的绩效评估是不是只看销售数字？有没有考虑客户满意度、团队协作等「软性指标」？

4. "Retain": Culture & Environment| 4. 「保留」阶段：文化与环境

Lack of Leadership: Are store managers still stuck in "command and control" management styles? Do they know how to Coach and Motivate the younger generation of employees?
领导力缺失：店长是不是还停留在「命令与控制」的管理风格？他们知道如何辅导（Coach）和激励（Motivate）年轻一代员工吗？
Poor Work Environment: Is the store workload too heavy? Is scheduling unreasonable? Do employees feel respected and recognized?
工作环境差：门店的工作负荷是不是太重了？排班是不是不合理？员工是否感到被尊重和认可？

Part 2: Proposing Solutions| 第二部分：解决方案

After diagnosing the problems, I proposed an integrated solution I called the "Employee Experience Reimagining Program."

诊断完问题后，我提出了一个整合性的解决方案，我称之为「员工体验重塑计划」。

1. Magnetic Attraction| 1. 磁性吸引

Redesign Job Descriptions—don't just list requirements, highlight the value and development opportunities of the work
重新设计职位描述——不要只列要求，要突出工作的价值和发展机会
Add scenario simulations in interviews to assess Problem-Solving and Customer-facing abilities
在面试中增加情景模拟，评估问题解决能力和客户服务能力

2. Navigator Onboarding Program| 2. 领航员入职计划

Assign every new employee a senior colleague as their "Navigator," providing one-on-one guidance for the first 90 days
为每位新员工指派一位资深同事作为「领航员」，在入职前90天提供一对一指导
Create a structured learning path covering company history, product knowledge, and customer service skills
创建结构化学习路径，涵盖公司历史、产品知识和客户服务技能

3. Clear Career Ladders| 3. 清晰的职业阶梯

Define clear promotion criteria from Sales Associate → Senior Associate → Team Lead → Floor Manager → Store Manager
定义从销售助理→资深销售→组长→楼层经理→店长的清晰晋升标准
Offer cross-training opportunities in visual merchandising, buying, and digital marketing
提供视觉陈列、采购和数字营销的跨岗培训机会

4. Recognition & Reward Refresh| 4. 认可与激励焕新

Implement a "Star Performer" program with monthly recognition and tangible rewards
实施「明星员工」计划，每月表彰并给予实质性奖励
Revise commission structure to reward customer satisfaction scores, not just sales volume
修订提成结构，奖励客户满意度分数，而不仅仅是销售额

Key Takeaways| 面试心得总结

The Consulting case interview tests your ability to structure ambiguous problems and propose actionable solutions. Even for Human Capital cases, you need to connect people issues to business outcomes.

咨询案例面试考察的是你将模糊问题结构化并提出可行解决方案的能力。即使是人力资本案例，你也需要将人的问题与业务结果联系起来。

Key Tip: Always start with diagnosis before jumping to solutions. Use frameworks like the Employee Lifecycle to ensure you're covering all angles systematically.
关键提示：在跳到解决方案之前，一定要先进行诊断。使用员工生命周期等框架，确保你系统地覆盖了所有角度。

Good luck with your interviews!

祝你面试顺利！