PwC reviews

Unless you're one of the 'chosen few' viewed as partner material then you're basically treated as expendable-the staff turnover is extremely high. The system is very 'one size fits all' and promotion is based more on politics than on any form of demonstrable performance. The hours are also excessive (60+) and there is a culture of not charging time which allows senior management to stick their heads in the sand and claim no-ones working long hours.

There is limited career mentoring, and no attempt at work-life balance. Lack of transparency in communications from mid-level and senior leadership is pervasive, particularly when the firm may be experiencing difficulty in meeting its business and financial goals and staff layoffs are occurring. Entrepreneurship is discouraged by a rigid, compliance-driven culture. The firm's business plan is continuously shifting with few long-term goals, leading to periodic purges of staff, particularly on the Advisory side of the firm. While the virtues of collegiality are extolled, they are not consistently practiced. There is intense competition for revenue between practice groups, sometimes on a single project. This does not always lead to the best outcome for the client and sometimes creates risk management issues when the individuals with the best skill sets are not deployed. There is little tolerance for, or understanding of staff who come out of industry and whose skill sets are not IT- or audit-related. These individuals are not easily integrated into the firm and generally have a difficult and short career there.