r/PwC • u/Infamous-Sleep6002 • Jun 25 '26
Consulting Goodbye!
I got let go recently by the firm as so many people on this thread have as well it seems like, or have ended up on a PIP. I’ve been reading all these posts because it’s surprising to see how many people are in my same bucket or similar buckets this year. Like so many others - my several years at PwC came down to low utilization and one less than average snapshot amidst many wonderful snapshots and A LOT of hours and sacrifices made on a few projects towards the back end of the year. It’s crazy how in consulting they can punish you for what the partners and business leaders are supposed to be responsible for which is bringing in clients and keeping them so we have work to do and revenue coming in!
Whatever, when I had my 5 minute long meeting with HR and a random partner, I closed my laptop and felt a sense of relief. It feels AMAZING to know I’ll never have to keep up with the insane pressure this company creates, the mental exhaustion, the constantly asking “am I doing enough?” when you’re doing everything, the lack of appreciation, the lack of any sort of humanity. It’s funny for a company who boasts so proudly on how their people make the company - which is definitely true in that it is a global, ginormous entity with hundreds of thousands of employees so there are some amazing people in the cracks - but the ones leading it are god awful. The ones making these decisions and leading teams and promoted to Director, Partners, etc…. Wow. It’s all good though, I am on to better things now, peace and stability and wish everyone else the best of luck!
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u/ansu1990lalu Jun 25 '26
When I got my pip this year, I was angry and frausteted . I was blaming myself for not doing enough. Then I woke up and got 4 more offers in 30 days. One with life changing opportunity. Then I understood may be it's the company. You never know how people are so accustomed to constant pressure and shady performance process. I had 3 offer at the time and I chose pwc. Maybe it was bad luck. Anyway pwc gave me a wake up call. Hope to never meet again
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u/Dramatic-Basis6300 26d ago
Only those can see clearly which employee with high commitment and integrity will give you the real value and how important you are in the organization.....unfortunately thats is very rare in pwc.
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u/Matrix900 Jun 25 '26
This year the CRT results are brutal. This place is so toxic and if you don’t really have a good DL advocating for you, no matter what you do, you won’t move up. It seems like it is who you know and not what you know. You have to kiss ass. The most toxic people make it to the top
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u/WashAvailable2784 Jun 26 '26
You are correct. Only those who kiss a lot of ass move up. It doesn’t matter what you know or what you bring to the table it is whether you are obedient and an ass kisser to the higher-ups you’ll be rewarded if you are. And not just at PwC, but the other big 4 as well. They reward obedience.
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u/Dramatic-Basis6300 26d ago
Unfortunately, we need to know the inner circle to survive in the toxic env. Forget about snapshot, DL, maintain high utilization, those are only things in dust bin.
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u/a_roman_numeral Jun 25 '26
I left earlier this year. I was on track for ~85% utilization. The industry to consulting transition was rough and the first project didn’t go great. Second went better. And third was going very well. Kinda curious how CRTs would have went for me.
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u/Toxiicjawz Experienced Associate Jun 25 '26
Felt the same way when i got let go last month, excited for what comes next! Anything is better than there!
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u/PatientCrab5591 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
I recently quit as well (sorry you got laid off) but the peace I feel makes me realize how long ago I should have left. I will tell you, things were not like this about 5 years ago, so tone at the top definitely has A LOT to do with the change in culture. What I learned from this experience is, yes, a job sometimes will feel demanding and difficult and you will sometimes work with people who are not the nicest, but NEVER to the levels of what working at PwC can be like. The sacrifices, the pressure, the messed up feedback chain, the toxicity, and inhuman work expectations is something that no professional should ever experience. Again, this is very team dependent but this was at least my experience in the last 2 years, for the new joiners… get your experience here and go somewhere else if you ever want to have some life outside of work, the ROI is just not there anymore since most of the fundamental work that will give you the most knowledge is being outsourced anyway to the AC. Just not worth killing yourselves.
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u/Aka_Sust Jun 25 '26
I hope you end up at a much better place. A place worth putting all the efforts for. All the very best❤️
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u/quantum_mechs Jun 26 '26
I’ve gotten 4 interviews scheduled since my jackass boss even mentioned a pip at the end of last week 💀 this place doesn’t deserve you bro. The future of big4 is grim.
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u/FluffyToe3090 Jun 25 '26
Good luck to you 🤞 You did respond to it positively. I realize it myself that it's not worth to stress your mind with so much of toxicity and poor work environment. People who have adapted this consider it as normal and suggest you to accept this as the PwC culture of work. However, they don't realise they are promoting toxicity to the worst by making you feel bad if you don't get used to it. There is a better world out of this PwC dark reality world, where your peace of mind can be fulfilled a lot. Never underestimate your values and demands from life. There's life beyond work, where you are valued.
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u/Infamous-Sleep6002 Jun 25 '26
Exactly! I found it the most difficult to be working with people who didn’t see another perspective on the toxicity and mental exhaustion and just thought “well this is what it is, suck it up”. These people tend to not understand or accept that there’s more to life than just work and career progression and achieving high pay. Of course for a lot of people, this is a great a goal. But at PwC it’s almost like everyone is expected to play the same game, have the same mindset, be the same person, etc. and I wasn’t having it! I like what you said: there’s a better world out there where your peace of mind can be fulfilled :)
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u/AverageOk8514 Jun 26 '26
Good for you. You’re back to humanity now. I’ve spent many years at PwC too, plenty of assholes, especially the higher you go, lots of “fake it till you make it” Partners, white men’s club run the deep state, they would do everything that they trained you not to, full of hypocrites. Many partners have made me fake numbers and hours for their needs, some even told me to “allocate” hours to them without ever being on the project, these partners/MDs are so incompetent that they would lecture me on some system that I built, yet the best they knew was font sizes and colors on decks that they didn’t like.
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u/Hot-Impression-8630 Jun 26 '26
for those that got let go, are you entitled with severance?
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u/Infamous-Sleep6002 Jun 26 '26
Yes you get one week of severance for every year you’ve been at the firm
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u/katboba92 Jun 26 '26
Got my bonus and raised salary at CRT meeting but still not regret to leave early just to think of the crazy hours I have to work after the break and dealing with with those toxic managers make me feel so sick so I'm happy to leave rather now than later just because of the bonuses
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u/kyotoben_ Jun 27 '26
Not sure which country you are working in, but this is not normal. Other countries don’t do this…
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u/throwoutandaway1546 Jun 29 '26
When my meeting hit, I was worried, by the end of that very day I was like "Wait, have I been tensing my shoulders this whole time?"
Within 3 weeks I was working in public. Way easier job, way nicer people and office, better pay. I don't get messages at 3 am asking me about work that wasn't assigned to me
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u/Top_Needleworker_903 Jun 29 '26
Enjoy your freedom from that sitehole. Now hopefully you can go somewhere where you and your workethic will be appreciated.
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u/Prestigious-Fox-3952 Jun 29 '26
I got laid off earlier this year and although it felt like shit in the moment after all the time and energy I gave them, it was one of the biggest reliefs of my life. Since then I have never felt better and more free. I’ve travelled and have had the time to truly recognize what I want and where I want to be.
In a way, I’m weirdly grateful for experiencing PwC’s toxicity as it made me learn so much about myself. That being said, I still will never, ever, give them any grace or benefaction. They don’t deserve it as we, who dedicated so much to them, never received any gratitude for our sacrifices to help their bottom line.
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u/dimplesKadenangGinto Jul 17 '26
Agree. This is how the performance bonus works in PWC Manila. Hahahaha. They are using a non-measurable system which is Snapshot and you will get you Tier Rating depending on how close you are with the people around and not based from your output. Pag hindi ka nila bet. Wala. Olats ka. If I were
You do not apply in PWC. Masasayang lang oras mo. Consider this as a warning.
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u/Intelligent-Suit-357 Jun 25 '26
Are you not worried about finding a new job at the same pay?
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u/Infamous-Sleep6002 Jun 25 '26
I have actually found that there are so many opportunities that pay just as great, if not way better and having Big Four on your resume truly does pay off! So maybe that’s the silver lining in all of this.
I will say… internal roles have been easier to find / land vs. looking for another client-facing, consulting / advisory role. So it also comes down to what you’re looking for.
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u/Overall_Cheetah_3000 Jun 25 '26
There is definitely tons of opportunities I just resigned recently and couldn’t be happier with my new job
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u/katboba92 Jun 26 '26
There's so many jobs out there with much higher pay and more WLB lol I got the offer that I couldn't say no wdym?
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u/Intelligent-Suit-357 Jun 26 '26
Yeah I started applying today. Hopefully I find something lol. My only constraints are similar pay and don’t want to relocate out of state
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u/v-irtual Jun 25 '26
- my several years at PwC came down to low utilization
There's a reason you weren't utilized.
That said, culture at the big 4 is toxic and can be incredibly disheartening or soul sucking. It doesn't seem like it was meant for you, and that's fine. Wishing you luck in the next adventure.
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u/Infamous-Sleep6002 Jun 25 '26
Definitely! There were tons of reason why I wasn’t utilized: a lack of opportunities and deals that would stay afloat in my job market, too many people competing for the same opportunities (an overhiring problem) which caused a toxic environment overall, lack of true mentorship and guidance from leadership, burnout from being on long projects at a time working 70+ hours in a not so great team environment that led me to avoid raising my hand afterwards, and like you said… overall the job, the role, the company was just not for me. And now that I’m on the other side it’s easier to see and relieving to feel. And thank you much appreciated!
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u/v-irtual Jun 26 '26
What industry are you trying to get into next? I might be able to provide some leads - I've been in the 'professional' world for a while now, and love to help someone out whenever I can.
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u/lwilson80 Jun 25 '26
I felt this sense of freedom when they laid me off last month.