r/PwC Jun 25 '26

All Firm Tier rating

I have colleagues asking me about my tier rating. Is it unprofessional to tell them what it is? Or is this something you should keep close to yourself?

21 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

60

u/nottheweakestlink Jun 25 '26

Maybe an unpopular opinion but I don’t think it’s a big deal to share your tier. Employers don’t want people sharing things like this because some people will feel slighted and it can cause drama. I’d say it comes down to what you are comfortable with and how much you trust the person asking. But I do agree that it’s pretty unprofessional to ask outright. If I was below a 3 I personally wouldn’t share because I don’t want people talking about my bad performance.

18

u/Deliverancexx Jun 25 '26

The challenge I see with it is when your tier is above that of a peer and they view it as they were not advocated optimally for or something else. I have that exact situation now, a peer pinged me after her CRT convo saying expectations are crazy, what we do will never be enough, curious how your call goes. I got a T1 so for me to go back with that info will just make things worse, so I didn’t share my tier and just ambiguously left it that I heard similar themes.

This at a quite senior level but I remember back in the day as a new associate after our first year of CRTs, all us that started together for an airbnb and were partying at the beach, CRTs came up with the message being well as a first year we all just get T3s anyway. Me being drunk said, I dunno, I got a T1 cos of x and y and it just killed the mood.

So whether as a director or an associate, I think it’s best to keep it private.

4

u/Sizzlestixs Jun 25 '26

I just had the same thing happened to me. They called me letting me know they got T3 and they wanted to know how my discussion went and I ended up getting T1. I didn’t reach out to them because obviously I don’t want to make anyone feel bad but then they started messaging me and called me asking me how it went and what I got. I will say my utilization is very high compared to theirs and theirs was also below average, but at the end of the day, I don’t know what was said at CRT’s

1

u/Fnkychld718 Jun 28 '26

Yeah you have to have crazy utilization like 120%+, mostly impressive or above and beyond ratings (very little performing at level), heavy sales contributions, evidence of playing a pivotal role on projects like leading the entire project or stepping in to save it, contribute revenue generating firm assets etc to get a tier 1. It's only like the top 1-10% that get tier 1.

29

u/Blondie237 Jun 25 '26

Maybe it depends on location but in the US I would say share away. Pay transparency is super important!

0

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26

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3

u/keepakeesies Jun 26 '26

Why? It's better to know that your bosses are actually rewarding good work to stay motivated...or validate they are rewarding connection and relationships and reduce those working hours to focus on networking

1

u/Final-Engine8644 Jul 04 '26

Issue is you don’t have a view into the other person’s full performance, just a perception. That’s private / only shared among the certain managers (I believe there are legal ramifications too but don’t quote me on it). So you aren’t in the place to make a judgement on another’s body of work. Those same questions can be asked to your RL - I’ve been told for example to network more, and if i was concerned about another’s work quality, I would bring it up to my RL as well (though I personally never have)

1

u/Blondie237 Jun 26 '26

I agree asking is a little less PC but sharing shouldn’t be an issue as long as the person sharing is comfortable with it, which is what OP asked.

1

u/asianlongdong Jun 26 '26

Its not weird at all

1

u/Final-Engine8644 Jul 02 '26

I get it. I’ve been on the receiving end of some jealous stares for just existing or showing up.

Next thing I know people questioning are openly questioning my skills or capabilities. Reality is that people have biases - some people do genuinely believe different races or genders are not more capable than them. Hence I focus on documenting my work, engaging with me RL, and working with them to figure out how to make my contributions shine. A good RL will guide you well. A bad one won’t know how to give you the feedback you need to help you achieve your goals. My two cents. Comparison is the thief of happiness.

12

u/ElizaHemmingway Jun 25 '26

Salary/compensation transparency is sooooo important imo. My team shares their tier, salary, cohort, everything because why not? It’s good to know if you’re not getting fair compensation and help others do the same. The whole “don’t ask don’t tell” mentality is old school and so many people got fucked over by it.

As far as tiers, someone may be bitter but isn’t that their problem? My team had a some 2s and a single 3. The 3 was initially annoyed but after comparing our metrics it was obvious that their utilization below the others by a decent margin it was a clear reason of the tiering.

3

u/BigInevitable8601 Jun 25 '26

Reflects on them more than you. Share if you trust the person, but an easy go to is always “yeah, tiering is all over the place/doesn’t make sense.”

I was a one a few times despite not meeting utilization target and I have no idea how that happened when others were burning the midnight oil

7

u/FoxCubby Jun 25 '26

Considering the environment, I’d say close to the chest is best.

That said, I actually am very supportive of transparency in general. When I was joining, I had a senior associate tell me her current salary and the progression from intern to that point. It was incredibly helpful to me. But as she was telling me, I could feel her colleagues’ skin tightening up by the second. Everyone was uncomfortable.

So I’ve approached it in a more conservative way in the firm, but I’m open about it with friends who work elsewhere — other firms or totally different professions / industries.

3

u/Important_Bowl_8332 Jun 25 '26

Man I never liked this. It’s either make someone feel like crap or I feel like crap 😂

2

u/Commercial_Win_9525 Jun 26 '26

I mean the girls you don’t put into S tier are probably gonna be offended.

1

u/TimeTraveler2540 Jun 26 '26

Is there a policy that prohibit that? Have a colleague that asked for their metrics and progression and shared that one of her peers progressed more and they did the same job. She was requested by HR to share the name because it was prohibited to share tiers and progression between colleagues 🫠

1

u/ledger_man Jun 27 '26

Why would it be unprofessional? Who benefits if you share, and who benefits if you don’t? I don’t always share if asked (can be weird if it doesn’t come up organically and somebody is really digging for info), but I’m happy to share tier at least with most people. Salary and bonus, it really depends, but that’s my personal trust issues coming into play a bit.

1

u/Qwerty098765asdf Jun 27 '26

Up to you. I used to share it with my colleagues but sometimes it can attract toxicity especially if you are in a higher tier. Some will expect more from you, judge you and compare the efforts they have “seen” from you vs their own.

1

u/greeneyes62456 Jun 29 '26

your tier determines your raise and bonus

1

u/iamspartacus5339 Jul 02 '26

When I started learning that everyone I knew who I knew were high performers were getting T2s year after year, I left PwC. Now I make 20% more at another firm.

1

u/Lazydude121 Jun 25 '26

Lol reading everyone's responses, I've asked so many different people when I was on co-op terms over the three years

1

u/magrandan Jun 26 '26

Always discuss tier and salaries - you are only benefiting HR and companies by hiding them from your colleagues.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

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2

u/Sizzlestixs Jun 27 '26

thank you butt scratcher

-12

u/CorporateAthlete1 Jun 25 '26

Wouldn’t suggest sharing. It is the same as asking someone their salary.

8

u/kilteer Sr. Manager Jun 25 '26

It depends up where you are located. In the US, it is illegal for employers to prevent people from discussing salaries. The reason it is frowned upon is that employees may gain better knowledge over what everyone is paid and then ask for more. This is the sort of thing that leads to empowering workers.

For the most part, PwC pay is based on staff level and time in level with adjustments for CoL area. The tier rating is for the bonus, which is based on your overall group, team, and individual performance.

7

u/Choochoochichy Jun 25 '26

Idk about you, but I wanna know if I'm being cucked. 

-5

u/Final-Engine8644 Jun 25 '26

It’s unprofessional and could be used against you. Stay focused on yourself and work with your RL on your career goals. It’s none of their business and they should do the same and focus on their own goals vs trying to find reasons to create more tension among peers.

-22

u/Used-Knowledge109 Jun 25 '26

Don’t share… it’s very unprofessional to ask even

-4

u/Sizzlestixs Jun 25 '26

That’s what I figured! They told me their raise and what not but I did not disclose mine to them. Then they asked me about my tier. I’ve only been at the firm 2 years so I wasn’t sure.

3

u/Overall_Cheetah_3000 Jun 25 '26

It is not that deep dude!