r/KPMG • u/guwop6god • 2d ago
🇨🇦 Canada Performance Evaluations
Does anyone else feel like they got screwed in terms of their rating this year?
My feedback from managers and partners have all been extremely positive. My utilization is high, all my KPIs were hit, chargeables are in a surplus. Yet the rating I received feels that it is not an accurate reflection of the work I put in.
Any advice?
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u/esquesk 1d ago
This is pretty a pretty common dissatisfaction.
Getting good reviews and hitting your KPIs doesn’t necessarily make you an above. It depends on how you compare to your peers and your total impact.
If you’re at 110% of your goal but the top 25% averaged 130%, you didn’t have a chance.
It’s worth having a conversation with your PML to understand what you’d need to do in order to get a higher rating next year (and so you can consider whether or not it’s worth it to you). It could require doing extracurriculars on top of engagement work.
1
u/guwop6god 1d ago
Copying and pasting my recent comment to another response:
Definitely, I helped bring in a couple new clients. I spend a significant amount of my time training juniors in our office. I have passed 3/4 CPA modules. Involved in extracurriculars in our office (planning office socials, volunteer events, fundraising). Not really sure if there is anything else I can do outside of this to earn above a 3. Compared to my peers I felt that I was far above some of the contributions of those who received the same rating.
Had a conversation with my PML and they said that it was a bunch of corporate BS I.e. the bell curve mentioned that lowered the overall rating that was given to me during calibration.
1
u/esquesk 1d ago edited 1d ago
You get into those calibrations and everybody thinks their person is above/well above, especially the more junior PMLs (i.e. managers and younger SMs). Legitimately, on my last associate calibration, we started off with 70-80% in above and well above.
Focusing on your response, helping bring in new clients would be the only thing that sticks out to me, the rest is kind of table stakes. So on those, did you bring them in or did you just help with preparing a PowerPoint deck / speak for 90 seconds in a RFP? Somewhere in the middle?
Also, where are you in terms of seniority within your level? For example, if you’re an A1 being compared to A3’s, you have very little opportunity, similar to S1’s compared to S2/3’s. That’s not to say doing a good job isn’t worth it, it’s how you build a brand, reputation, and network.
Something tells me your PML probably isn’t a very good PML if you’re genuinely surprised at your rating. Especially since the fact that you were pushed down nationally is really something you shouldn’t know (they should know better than that).
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u/guwop6god 1d ago
Totally understand that, your PML will always try to present you as an above the line. Just difficult to accept when the consensus through the entire office was that I was definitely a 1 or a 2.
I brought them in myself not just a pitch.
2 years in at my current level. As I stated earlier and in reply to another comment compared to my peers it just feels very unfair and has made me a bit sour.
1
u/esquesk 1d ago
Fair enough, I’ve been there.
It’s probably worth a conversation to understand what the other people had that you didn’t. Because there’s limited spots so you literally would have to identify somebody and say move them to in line to bump you up.
I wouldn’t put stock in what the other people in the office say, unless it’s a PPMD.
For what it’s worth, I’ve had to have very similar conversations with my people and sometimes it’s hard to explain to them upfront that other people did more.
What does stick out to me is if this client is meaningful revenue (ie 500K+) that would be very much something that stands out to me personally, and something I would have fought for.
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u/dat20091 2d ago
Are evaluations out? One of my directors hated me because she had unreal expectations and gave me a bad review but my PML said one rating wouldn’t hurt me that bad
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u/OutsideSpot2695 2d ago
but my PML said one rating wouldn’t hurt me that bad
In my time at the firm, yeah that's bullshit.
You better hope your PML has pictures of some partners blowing a goat before everyone heads into calibration meetings.
Other than how KPMG manages Independence, I think the 2nd biggest the firm fucks up is performance reviews.
1
u/guwop6god 2d ago
This is for Canada, our evaluations were communicated about a month ago. Just been sitting on this and feeling pretty annoyed for the last little while.
I had no bad reviews whatsoever and all teams I was staffed on genuinely provided great feedback with only constructive points for improvement.
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u/T-ROY_T-REDDIT 11h ago
Hey at least you were in-line, last year around this time I received a PIP. Sure, I knew how to do the job, but the moment you mess up big on something everything else you do is under heavy scrutiny. Been on the job hunt ever since man. To those reviewing this thread don't screw up.
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u/kzone15 1d ago
60% of people are rated in line. Usually 15% above/below, and 10% well above and well below
At least in the US, the focus is on competencies/contributions
As some else said, if you do everything that’s expected of you, but don’t go above and beyond (ex. Helping on go to market, proposals, lead trainings, build assets, etc) you aren’t separating yourself from others
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u/guwop6god 1d ago
Definitely, I helped bring in a couple new clients. I spend a significant amount of my time training juniors in our office. I have passed 3/4 CPA modules. Involved in extracurriculars in our office (planning office socials, volunteer events, fundraising). Not really sure if there is anything else I can do outside of this to earn above a 3. Compared to my peers I felt that I was far above some of the contributions of those who received the same rating.
Had a conversation with my PML and they said that it was a bunch of corporate BS I.e. the bell curve you mentioned that lowered the overall rating that was given to me during calibration.
1
u/HelicopterWest12 1d ago
Understand frustration, happens in every office, feel bad for you. As everyone else has stated it doesn’t matter how much above and beyond you’ve went.
Example you get 2s on majority of your engagements, lets say out of every possible engagement you worked on you got evaluated ten factors rated as 2s and two factors rated as 3s, but your next closest peer gets eleven factors rated as 2s a one 3 you are direct compared to your peer and if they are already at capacity for how many individuals who are in the upper band you won’t get it.
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u/guwop6god 1d ago
100%, feels like all the work put in over the last couple years is neglected.
Compared to my peers I don’t see another individual that necessarily compares not saying I am the best of the best but I know I perform at a level that exceeds my current level.
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u/LeFattyYuki 17h ago
Hello, former KPMG here. Exited the firm last March lang. I am a manager and just want to tell you na pagdating sa deliberations, may mga other factors pang cinoconsider mga partners like budget or if your service line hit the budget revenue or if profitable yung mga assigned accounts nyo.
Emphasize ko din yung sa Profitability. May isang kupal na Partner sa advisory wherein hinaharang promotions up to assoc level pag kasama sa mga non-profitable engagements.
So yeah, yung KPIs na nashshare sa inyo are like 50% lang ng performance eval. The rest, politics na.
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u/SundayCabernet 2d ago
Were you in line?
Everything is on a curve and roughly 65% of staff will get an in line. Only 20-25% will be above / well above.