A company that allows great potential for passionate, self-motivated people
Pros
Ever changing variety of opportunities allows for diverse range of technology and industry knowledge. Those who love to learn never grow tired of a career at Accenture because there is always something new to move on to. Accenture employs super smart people all over the world who enjoy collaborating and helping people out. Diversity is encouraged and welcomed at Accenture. The company understands that differences and unique qualities are what make teams and companies stronger. Strong company Code of Business Ethics and Core Values. Extensive training assets and knowledge capital available for all employees, most of it free. Career Counselors help guide employees throughout their careers. Mentors also help with career advice. Really great benefits. 4 workforces (Consulting, Services, Enterprise and Solutions) provide career change options without having to leave the Accenture family. Employees are encouraged to blaze their own path during their careers.
Cons
There is a tendency to pressure employees to be workaholics, especially for the client-based workforces, although there has been a push towards Work/Life balance awareness in recent years. The most frequent client team-related issues are lack of transparency when the project team comes up against unexpected obstacles and staffing teams with the wrong resources (example: staffing low-cost location technical resources when the client expects local business consulting resources). Accenture bills itself as a meritocracy - this means resources are rated each year by comparing their performance against their peers' performance. However, this isn't entirely the case. There is a "ladder" with a certain number of slots at each rating level. If 4 people deserve the top rating and there is only 1 slot available, 3 of those people will fall down a notch. Since the final rating impacts raises, bonuses and, potentially, promotions, where a person lands in the ladder is a big deal. Where a person falls largely depends on how hard the person's Career Counselor fights on the laddering calls, making it subjective to boot. Although Accenture is fantastically diverse, there is still work to be done in the area of Persons with Disabilities, both visible and invisible. Some of Accenture's locations have done a great job in this area, however the United States is not one of them. The separation package for the Services Workforce is unique in the industry. It is paid out twice a month, instead of in a lump sum, and requires the person to get Unemployment. The Unemployment is then subtracted from the benefit amount received. The person receiving separation pay has to log into a special website and log all job search activities in order to receive payment. If the person finds a job before all separation benefits are paid out, Accenture ceases payout of the remainder of the benefits.