Cherry Bekaert & Holland Reviews

Pros

I really like a lot of people I work with, both in my office and with people in other offices. Most people are really nice.

Most people really care about doing a good job for the clients.

PTO is pretty good, especially compared to my friends.

Cons

Sometimes you have to work long hours around deadlines, but that is part of the industry.

Pros

Vacation time is adequate
Met some good people that were very good at their job at my peer level

Cons

The Tyson's Corner office has fallen apart. In the audit department there are less than 5 people left from last busy season below partner. In the tax department there were approxamately 20 people at the end of last busy season and there is 1 person left. There has been a compelte inability to recruit any talent after the departures. The problems that have contributed to the fall-out was largely due to management which has not changed at all. The same decision makers are in place. As a result, it is highly unlikely that things will change in the future. The fact is that the firm as a whole doesn't have an understanding of the Northern Virginia market and lacks the leadership to step in and make sure that the right people/leaders are in place to do the right thing. There was a great group of highly productive energetic people that worked there and now they are all gone.

Advice to Senior Management

Partners need to listed to the managers and seniors when they provide feedback. Generally, they will have a good idea of what is going on in the office and ways to improve morale. Don't wait to address important issues. Reward high performers.

Pros

Strong client base and market presence
Friendly and caring culture
Opportunites to advance and grow
Solid strategic vision and plan for the future
Focus on growth

Cons

Overall communication needs to improve

Advice to Senior Management

Ensure strong alignment of shared values amongst firm leadership

Pros

Competent staff and senior level employees

Cons

Management fails to achieve certifications that are demanded of staff.

Pros

There is a great variety of clients in this office. SEC, Public, Private, Government, NFP, Retirement Plan Audits, etc. The bread and butter of the office is its governmental clientele.

Cons

As with all public accounting firms, you will owe you waking hours to the company. CBH is wonderful compared to other audit firm hourly requirements, however the work life balance is still skewed toward more work and less life. Also you will be traveling to the middle of nowhere on a regular basis.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep making that money. As far as external audit forms go Cherry is better than most. Keep the free sodas coming and pay for more lunches.

Pros

Some of the people here are smart and helpful.

Cons

Many of the people here are demeaning, rude, or apathetic. Performance feedback is even more of a joke than the raises. Favoritism allows some to get away with murder. Training is centralized. Quality is defined by rushing through work and then making it look a certain way. The firm doesn't care about your own career development. If you just stay here long enough, you will eventually get promoted regardless of competence or lack thereof.

Pros

Free soda and coffee
PTO is okay
Ability to work from home occasionally

Cons

I really think that CBH is confused. I know the company is going through many changes, but it is extremely disorganized. There is a lot of disconnect within the firm because they have acquired so many other firms through mergers without thinking about each firm's culture and work environment. All the partners seem to care about is billable hours and bringing in ANY client, no matter what your level. It doesn't matter if you do a good job. It doesn't matter if you're a genius. That won't get you anywhere here. There is no incentive to work hard considering they don't even care how hard you work. Raises and "bonuses" are a joke and almost nonexistent. It's actually quite offensive. I truly feel that CBH will hire anyone considering that the turnover rate is quite high. Education and skills do not seem all that important when considering a new hire. Unfortunately, I can't recommend working for this firm to anyone who is considering applying. All in all, CBH has a lot to work on as one can clearly tell from reading the many reviews of the company on this website.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay employees fairly!!!, treat them well, and work on raising the morale in the offices.Then, people will be more motivated to bring in clients and work harder. I understand that the company is trying to grow, but it is headed in the wrong direction if you look at the turnover rate and reviews...

Pros

Talented partner group (Atlanta office)
Complimentary drinks, snacks, meals, social gatherings
Exposure to various clients and industries
Co-workers and office environment

Cons

Work-life balance (typical of industry)
Not enough SEC clients
Compensation is slightly below average
IT technology seems to lag behind larger firms with better resources

Advice to Senior Management

Don't lose sight of the talent that you have at the firm, continue to gravitate towards bigger clients when possible.

Pros

CB&H has a great PTO policy and really supports employees when they need time off. They are growing and changing and I look forward to seeing what the new changes bring.

Cons

At times, days during busy season can be very long. I appreciate the meals brought in and the fun things around the office to try and keep moreale up.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to communicate what changes are coming. Keep us posted on how the firm is doing financially and what you think our successes are.

Pros

Free snacks, coffee and sodas
Decent salary

Cons

Focus too much on billable hour goals--not the people
lack of performance feedback
complete favortism shown to certain associates
lack of action taken by senior management when made aware of huge personnel issues within company

Advice to Senior Management

The whole 'ELITE' campaign is ineffective and has become a joke because the behaviors encourage and expected are not being adapted by Senior Management--it needs to start from the top down.