The cons outweighed the pros by a long shot. The cons are as follows:
* Work/life balance - By far the absolute worst I've experienced. The average work week is 60 hours, and this is a pretty even keel number. I can't recall one week where I worked less than 55 hours, and there were times when I was working 75+ hours/week. In addition, I was pressured to be online and respond to my Manager during the week as late as 11pm--my wife loved this, let me tell you. If you have a family, your time with them will become very limited. Yes, there is PTO in addition to the firm Holidays, but you are required to literally give up your life for those perks.
* Compensation - Deloitte is well behind the curve in this regard. Deloitte employees have two jobs/obligations; one to the client, and one to the firm; both of which are highly demanding. The benefits are average at best. The pension (which they sell heavily as a reason for a lower base salary) doesn't materialize until the 4th year (automatically enrolled after a year; vested after three years), and the 401K match leaves a lot to be desired. Friends of mine employed with Deloitte competitors, made (on average) about $10K - $15K more per year (same level/years of experience/credentials). They were doing the same type of work, and getting the same client exposure. In addition, they worked about 10-15 fewer hours per week. Insane!!
* Red Tape/Internal Processes - The amount of Red Tape is enough to make you feel like you're in a straight jacket.
* Politics/Support - Shocking to say the least. To say that this is a "firm of favorites" is an understatement of catastrophic proportions. I'm still in disbelief over what I witnessed as an employee...and how it just continued with no end in sight. The politics game is rampant/universal, and this is where Deloitte can make some huge strides. A co-worker/friend who worked in the same division was consistently getting sidelined when it came to mid and annual reviews. He was extremely sharp, and worked harder than anyone on his team, but because he wasn't one of the Team Lead's favorites, she did not communicate his progress, brilliance, and dedication to Leadership. In fact, she tried to sabotage him on a few occasions. He communicated this to HR and nothing was done. Consequently, others in the group who were less qualified (who this same co-worker actually mentored and helped) were promoted while he was passed up. I remember him telling me how one of his team members who was recently promoted was still asking him for help....she was previously a peer...he was now reporting to her, and she still needed his guidance. This was a hard thing for me to witness. In addition, from what I gathered, this was not an isolated issue--this phenomenon was prevalent across multiple lines of service/departments throughout the firm. Communicating this inequity to upper management would most certainly jeopardize one's employment. This was the determining factor in my resignation. From an ethical perspective, I couldn't stomach what was going on. Lastly, there is a bit of a gender bias towards females throughout the firm. I was lucky enough to be on the Team Lead's good side, but if you're a male, I'd highly recommend considering PWC, KPMG or E&Y if you want to be treated fairly.
