the most political firm of all the big 4s - Consultant KPMG Employee Review

2.0
28 Jul 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- HR slaps band-aid solutions for employees such as fridays off during summer (2022) - renovated cafeteria in the downtown montreal tower - mini appreciation gifts for the holidays - good amount of time off (2-3 weeks for christmas, personal care hour bank, etc.) - depending on the team (heavy emphasis on depending), strong team culture and sense of belonging

Cons

- due to the political nature of the business and structure of the firm, everything is a question of 'what's in it for me?". That means if you are not a top performer well-liked by everyone, there is no future for you. as an example, a lot of the people i know and I myself have experienced situations where favoritism came into play (ex: racist/sexist situation or person excused simply because upper management likes them. another example is the boys club culture in many of the kpmg advisory teams). - no real change is happening (ex: renovation the working space and offices started min 2 years ago and not one single floor is done to date) - if you don't look and act like them, you are not one of them. (coming from a woman and POC. AKA if you are not a white french male, good luck) - despite all the advertising about it being an innovative company, the culture in many teams can be resumed to "dont talk and do as you are told". speaking up and offering ideas in many cases can be seen as obnoxious, smart-ass and not humble. - gaslighting will happen a lot and to survive you need to let yourself be gaslighted. good luck - merit is not based on hard work, but rather how much you suck up to decision makers - pay and bonuses are below market value

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KPMG Response
2y
We appreciate you sharing this feedback. Please be assured that the behaviour you have described does not align with our values, and collective commitment to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. KPMG is committed to a work environment that is free from violence, harassment and discrimination and supports KPMG’s people commitment of treating everyone with dignity and respect as stated in the KPMG Canadian Code of Conduct. KPMG recognizes that activities of this nature have a disruptive effect on our ability to perform our jobs and undermines the integrity of the work relationships we have with each other. Further, as an organization we provide competitive health and wellness benefits, base pay, bonuses and additional paid days off. Consistent with our commitments and shared values, KPMG takes these concerns very seriously and will look into and address matters we become aware of. Should you want to share your experience, please contact our Employee Relations Services Team, our central point of contact for these matters, at 1-888-466-4778 and select (option 3), or cdnersteam@kpmg.ca, or via ClearView Connects

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Cons

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4.0
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Pros

It might sound cliche but the Pro for me is the people that I work with. I'm lucky enough to be staffed in a team with great leadership. Managers are actually willing to coach junior members and be a real mentor. I very much appreciate their efforts.

Cons

Long hours and office politics. This is pretty basic and obvious for any public accounting firms. Every time a quarter end, year end, or a special filing is going out, you can expect 10-14 hour days. It might be fine in your early career but it gets really tiring after a few years.

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