KPMG reviews

Nothing (absolutely nothing) like a big4 firm. They are hardly integrated with the global network. Sons, brothers and nephews of the partners aren't asked for explanation for their low turn around in office and work. But their growth is never hampered. The partners are specifically selected to be obnoxious and unreasonable cretins. Anyone decent and upright is quickly marginalized or pushed to leave.

Unfortunately, KPMG is not all rainbows and unicorns. While, on balance, I have learned a great deal during my time at the firm, there are a few things that really hurt the firm's ability to retain people. First, the partner group is often rather aloof, distant, and totally disconnected from the young professionals that work for them. Yes, perhaps they too struggled and worked hard during their early days, but for the vast majority, that was 20+ years ago, and the world has changed since then. Today's young professionals are looking for more than a stable career and a paycheck, and unless the firm is able to provide more than that, the most talented professionals will continue to leave. The lack of investment and attention to things such as proper mentoring, career guidance, patience, and care simply astounds me at times. The fact that the firm will do nothing to retain top performers boggles my mind. If the top-rated senior or manager is thinking about leaving the firm, what will they do? Certainly not pay them more. They will pay lip service to rearranging workloads so that the top performers aren't burned out, but that never happens in reality. It's wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity. People are simply not appreciated and valued enough, especially when they should be the firm's most valued resource. Second, the slave labor factor still exists. In a world where income inequality has become a rallying cry for millions, the same disconnected and aloof partner group often jokes about how, if you stay to partner, you'll be very, very, very well compensated. Well, that doesn't really make anyone else feel better. Nor does it make any of us, who work so hard for so little, want to work any harder so you can make more money, especially as we are compelled to find efficiencies that may not exist. It's easy as a partner to tell a team to send more work to India. The reality on the ground is that it is not as easy as it sounds. The fact is that for years, young staff have been content to be paid little in exchange for an amazing start to their career, with interesting learning and good mentorship. Lately, KPMG has failed on those counts. Finally, the firm is too conservative, with too much bureaucracy, too many layers, and too many checklists that are redundant. While I understand risk mitigation is important, KPMG has always been the most conservative of the Big 4, and from speaking with peers and competitors, it is clear we are the firm that gets in our own way the most. The other firms clearly enjoy economies of scale that we do not, but because of the way the firm operates, with local partners not even allowed to run their own practices properly, we miss out on too many opportunities for improvement.