PricewaterhouseCoopers Reviews in Washington, DC Area

Pros

Variety of work assignments, good compensation and benefits, flexibility to telecommute

Cons

like other big 4 firms, it's hit or miss with the quality of the people. It can be embarrassing when a team member asks a client a question for which he/she should already know the answer; or openly disagrees with you in front of a client.

Advice to Senior Management

First rate people hire first rate people, second rate people hire third rate people!

Pros

The firm invests in its people and does not hesitate to give the full benefits of working at the firm to its interns.

Cons

As an intern I did not see too much of this, but associates are worked extremely hard. During busy season hours are comparable to investment bankers.

Advice to Senior Management

Have more interaction with interns / associates. As an intern I had little to no interaction with the partners in my practice.

Pros

Had the opportunity to work with exceptionally bright individuals. Management was very supportive of my career choices. I developed strong business relationships with partners, directors, and managers across the U.S. and internationally in my position as Executive Assistant. Wide variety of business relationships developed made me more important to partners when I was asked to perform some tasks. PwC prides its self on connectivity and relationship development.

Cons

Because everyone works long hours, long hours are expected. Pay structure is very rigid and there is not much room for bonuses as an Executive Assistant unless you develop personal business relationships with individuals for which you work.

Pros

Brand in the marketplace, Relationships developed with clients,

Cons

Compliance requirements due to audit services

Advice to Senior Management

Streamline Performance Management processes

Pros

The company is on the ball. People here are smart and motivated, and very quick to help each other. The work is interesting and people take pride in a job well done. The onboarding experience is very well done and it's a seamless transition from new hire to confident employee. If you want to advance your career, the steps are in place for you to do that.

Cons

Without a doubt, this is a culture of excellence. That said, it's daunting at times to think about the "to do's" on your plate.

Pros

Training Program for incoming interns

Cons

Lunch can't be expensed on a daily basis

Pros

It is good to have one of the Big 4s name on you resume.
Due to higher turnover, one can easily get into the firm as an associate.

Cons

There is a lot of politics and favoritism in the company.
The management does not understand your personal needs.
The moral among the group was very low and as many as 6 people left from our small group of 15 employees.
The hours are ridiculous. From my personal experience, I was in the office for 10 to 11 hours on a normal day and in the busy season, there was no limit to the hours.

Advice to Senior Management

There should be increase in the salary due to inflation every year regardless of the performan.
The management should not only listen to the managers and directors while evaluating performances rather understand the point of view of their junior staff.

Pros

- Brand name
- Global recognition
- Financial stability

Cons

- Work life balance
- Not willing to experiment by attempting different approaches
- Salary range is low. This was one of the primary reasons for my exit from PwC.
- Very poor immigration policy (green card and H1 policy)
- Every year the organization spends millions of dollars in the name of advisory university to train their employees. But the course work at this week long camp is outdated. The courses offered need to be improved based on the latest market trends.
- The performance appraisal process remains confusing to date. For a year, I had 4 performance reviews - 3 of them had exceeds expectations while one had met expectations. My salary raise and bonus however did not happen as expected. My partner indicated that I was on the "cusp" with many others and hampered my chances to get a good raise/bonus.

Advice to Senior Management

- Increase risk appetite
- Study the market trends and tailor the training courses accordingly
- Improve the immigration policy

Pros

Intelligent Colleagues
Good Knowledge Management
High availability of information resources
Opportunity to work with experts in the field
Good culture - Fun ppl

Cons

Long Hours
Little recognition; Unfair promotion practices
Repetitive mundane tasks for some individuals
Pressure, Competition from team members
Travel Requirements

Advice to Senior Management

At times, I had 14 - 16 hour days at the client site to perfect deliverables and rarely received any positive recognition. I did receive a significant amount of "coaching". The review process doesn't seem entirely logical when an individual has a 150% burn rate and contributes significantly to the profitability of the firm yet is in turn coached to the point where they are no longer motivated.

Pros

There are a good amount of bright people here to learn from. Good client base. Not considering the hours worked, the pay/benefits are actually quite good.

Cons

No worklife balance. A common complaint is how people come in expecting for the most part the hours will only be bad during January-March/April timeframe. However this isn't the case at all. Clients with deadlines occur year round. The cult like mentality of employees is disgusting, its as if people are ok with being treated like dogshit and like it. Office politics aplenty. Promotions/rating system is unfair even with the new guidance surrounding the whole ARC process. Its as if your PFFs mean nothing when your rating is determined (ie. very few 1s or 2s).

Advice to Senior Management

HIRE MORE PEOPLE in order to reduce hours needed to be worked by employees. Don't bend over backwards to clients with unreasonable deadlines. Improve compensation. Improve the whole ARC process so that PFFs mean more and that there isn't a limit to the number of people earning 1's and 2's.