PricewaterhouseCoopers – “Great Company, Opportunity for Advancement, Long Hours and Low Pay”

Pros

PwC has a fantastic internal network of experts to leverage knowledge from. The benefits (vacation, holiday, cell phones) are well above that of working in industry. Learning and professional growth opportunities are never-ending, and there is always room for promotions and advancement.

Cons

It's a client service company - lots of long hours, unreasonable deadlines, no overtime pay, and very little work/life balance. With the current economy, there were no raises or bonuses in 2008, and moral is extremely low. Many people work for the company and overlook the long hours due to the higher pay rate, but most public accountants actually make less than their counterparts in industry/corporate positions until they are promoted to director, which could take in excess of ten years.

Advice to Senior Management

Leadership should realize that employees are willing to work hard and give up a personal life only if the rewards are great enough. Increase pay, allow some flexibility during slow times.