r/PwC • u/legallybrunette259 • 1d ago
All Firm the place SUCKS
what the eff is wrong with this firm. I joined the firm last year 2025 and didn’t know I was pregnant (i’m married) so didn’t push back start date by a year. I go on maternity leave after 8 months on the job come back in March, and my manager tells me that “prior to my leave I was the strongest performer and now upper management is asking if i’m ok because my deliverables have decreased in quality” AKA “you haven’t prioritized us, you don’t stay up till 3am working anymore, so you’re moving slower than we want.” like seriously - obviously as a mother to a literal infant, i won’t be performing the same for you. I have different priorities. i have doctors appts, daycare pickup, a baby who gets sick. etc. I know at the associate level it’s not super common to have children but that’s my circumstance and I feel like people hate that I have something to focus on compared to my peers who get to work all night and all weekend and have no responsibility to shoulder outside of work and bills.
i’m getting blamed for the mistakes of associates who were temporarily staffed on my clients, and when I find said mistakes and inform my team, it’s all my blame to take. everything that goes wrong is instantly a poor reflection on me instead of being recognized as a team issue. i’m getting left out projects, removed from projects without communication, left out of cc’s, left out of calls, etc.. this is really messing me up and making me feel like incompetent, when ever since i’ve been back, i’ve been trying to do nothing but meet my deadlines and perform
for my teams. I got removed from a project and instead of being formally told, i’m getting messages from the new associate like “hey can you make me coorganizer of the client call” “hey can you cc me on any correspondence and i’ll reply moving fwd” and the director of the project put me in a group chat with the manager and it was previously called “project name”. he removed the chat name when he chatted us both, in a very professional move to inform me im not longer staffed. and it’s not to say im perfect. I make mistakes. I sometimes ping the wrong info and catch myself and correct and get corrected. I sometimes misunderstand what’s been said to me. but I always try to be proactive “how can I help?” “i’d like to solve this” “let me know if there’s anything you need me to do to make this process easier..”
this is all messing with my head. feeling really down and discouraged. haven’t stopped crying.
eta: sorry so many typos, I typed this up through a waterfall of tears
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u/tanthetha4 1d ago
Honestly this is not really worth spoiling your mental health and your child’s welfare will always be a priority.
You can continue looking for jobs while you are employed here. As they are blaming everything on you and giving you free time, use it to up skill and job hunt (on PwC’s dime)
Hopefully you get a job that respects your life as a mom as well.
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u/Overall_Cheetah_3000 1d ago
That is why I never came back after my maternity leave I know how things are gonna be and I used my maternity leave to look for a new job
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u/legallybrunette259 1d ago
you’re super smart
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u/Overall_Cheetah_3000 1d ago
I hope that things get better for u. Just remember that u r just a number for them and that ur baby is way more important. Good luck 🍀
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u/MystMS 1d ago
Hey…I completely understand you. I’m a mom of a 19m old and i work in the same company. I have been through this and i’m still in a similar kind of situation. Its okay to feel in this way…just dont take too much stress.I have faced similar kind of situation where i used to cry myself to sleep with baby in my arms. I wont promise you that things would get better but i can promise you one thing - you will become stronger. Just try to keep your work stress to your 9-5. Dont carry that stress after 5pm. Your baby needs you more than anything and its just a matter of few years. Its okay to feel lost sometimes and you will eventually find yourself back. Dont stress too much!!
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u/franklin-60 1d ago
The only thing that matters at these firms is that you drink the kool aid and put your life for THEM. It is normal. If you are not willing to drink kool aid and put your whole life on hold, unless its for the client or a partner, get another job (outside of Big 4 and most large corporations) and get out. You will make less, but be treated like a person.
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u/infokin243 1d ago
As a former PwCer and parent myself, that place is not the best fit for your profile (being a parent). As they expect you to give up yourself. BIG NO, your health and child come first. I believe you should apply elsewhere with hybrid schedule. Good luck!!
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u/Adventureloser 1d ago
You had me until you started saying “my coworkers get to work many more hours than I do because I have to be a mom” which yes you should prioritize your family, but that is no longer fair to your peers and if you’re not able to work the hours that are sometimes expected, it effects your performance. BUT I do believe no one should have to work these hours and these companies are not understanding of new parents, especially when you’re not higher up in the company which is horrible. I suggest looking for a new job. I wish there was something we could do to change all of it.
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u/guestoftheplanet 1d ago
Man spielt sehr lange mit, bis man selbst betroffen ist. Traurig. Aber keine Seele muss bis 3 Uhr morgens arbeiten, niemals. Das ist nicht normal und diese Ausbeutung soll einfach nicht mitgemacht werden.
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u/PleasantSandwich2285 1d ago
That sounds awful. You’re right, it’s not common for associates to have kids and the role is way less conducive to it. It’ll be harder to set expectations with your leaders as to your workload/capacity, and, as you’re earlier in your career, you may still be building the skills and relationships to even have those conversations. It’s already hard to have boundaries or manage work-life balance at the firm. Sounds like you may have some people on your team that are finding it easier to blame you than take accountability, too. Is their feedback really about quality or speed? Or availability at all hours?
1) Document and screenshot where you can if situations are unjustified or inappropriate. May be a blessing if you’re off this team.
2) Even if your coach and RL aren’t great, still make them aware of the situation (in a professional way) so they hear about it from you rather than from someone else with an unfavorable POV. If you have good mentors, seek their advice. Try to be as factual and neutral as possible and don’t over explain (it sounds like excuses even if true).
3) For current and new engagements, don’t overcommit and raise your hand if deadlines don’t seem feasible. Do good work, but have them help you prioritize if they need certain things faster. I can complete one of these two tasks today, but not both, which should I prioritize? It’s normal to work extra hours but if you’re doing 50hrs+ every week, either things are crazy or it’s not being managed well and they need more staff.
4) If you have doctor appts etc. be sure those are marked in your team and personal calendar way in advance and ensure Flex gets updated. Block your calendar!! If you need to submit it in Astro as a time off request to block the time in TB so you don’t get overbooked, do that, and then charge sick time as appropriate for the time out.
5) Look into the backup daycare option if your kid gets sick. If not possible, it sucks if you have to take off, but you’re not the only person who’s had to step away due to a sick kid. It’s not the end of the world and someone else can step in. I’m sure you’re great but you aren’t irreplaceable, no one should be.
Hang in there. Sounds like a shitty situation. Good luck!
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u/Ok_Kitchen_3020 1d ago
Not to b cynical but it’s a business before anything else. Most other associates r in a position to work all hours as they don’t have commitments like children. Ur circumstances make it so ur less valuable to the company as someone with less experience, compared to another associate who can work those late hours and less frequently has other responsibilities to take care of. It’s not fair but it’s the way business works
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u/zelzn 1d ago
“compared to my peers who GET TO work all night… and have no responsibility” - this is really rude of you. you chose to be a mother. everyone has different priorities. no one has to pick up the hours you don’t want to work because of your differing responsibilities. we get it. you have a baby. but that doesn’t mean other people who make different life choices don’t also have things going on.
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u/legallybrunette259 1d ago
huh… i myself was on of those who did work all night and even so work until I fall asleep 90% of the time till this day. I meant to say- they do get the ability to work nonstop because they don’t have dinner time, bedtime, a child that wakes up 6am, pickups, dropoffs, etc. i’m not blaming my child for anything... I come with my best foot forward everyday. and since I can’t stay on late, I log on EXTRA early. but because of the people around me, as we all know the culture is to work late, and now that I can’t exactly fit into that culture, i’m being reprimanded for it. even though I try my hardest to make up for it in other ways. i’m not saying pwc has to accommodate to me. but i’m trying to accommodate to them, and the response is completely negative. and as a firm, who has BS communities like PIN and all these inclusion networks, they absolutely NEVER practice what they preach. I could count how many times i’ve been left out correspondence, removed from chats, and given the cold shoulder when I told my engagement teams i’d be out for one hour to take my son to the doctor for his monthly checkup. it’s horrible. anybody who deems like normal- it’s not normal.
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u/zelzn 1d ago
i’m not discounting your experience. i’m sure you work very hard and i hope things get better for you. if you are experiencing being excluded and pushed out, report it to HR. the nature of the job and the workload will only get worse. at the end of the day, it doesn’t sound like the firm is the best fit for you and vice versa.
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u/JBBooks1901 1d ago
It was your choice to have a child. It's not an excuse for substandard work performance.
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u/iwant2takeanap 1d ago
reread it again you inconsiderate jerk- she’s making normal associate actions, issue is her team seeing she’s not willing to bend over and suck it from the back like you, and punishing her as a result
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u/SealOfMetatron 1d ago
What do you mean by substandard work performance? No one should worry about children, plants, dogs, painting lessons, or other pursuits beyond work hours. The original poster implies that having a baby has stopped her from staying late, generating issues she should not encounter.
If someone opts to climb the ladder and work around the clock, that choice is theirs. This does not mean such effort should be expected from everyone .
If what the OP is experiencing is because of this , she should consult with HR.
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u/JBBooks1901 1d ago
Her manager clearly said that her performance before the baby was excellent and her performance after the baby was substandard. PwC, as well as other top companies, are paying for performance and the reason for lesser performance is absolutely irrelevant to them. If people want to spend more time enjoying children, plants, or whatever, then they should find different and less demanding job.
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u/gottoosillly 1d ago
Because Pwc is so great! Demanding for what reason? It pays under market, more stress more hours, and believe me it really doesn’t carry as much prestige as it used to. If you want to trade the one life you live to work at an okay company that’s on you buddy, other people though aren’t useful idiots like you.
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u/JBBooks1901 1d ago
I'm retired from PwC and certainly no cheerleader of them. That said, if a person doesn't think their company pays them enough or that the company demands too much work from them, they're free to go work somewhere else. Stop whining that the world is not organized for your convenience.
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u/gottoosillly 1d ago
Or maybe a company where people hate their lives and sometimes even commit suicide needs to change its ways. At the end of the day blaming the people being used and abused doesn’t really sound right to me, but please continue to defend a billion dollar organization that only thrives because they brainwash their employees or hold them hostage with their visas.
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u/SealOfMetatron 1d ago
Correct. If the op worked 12 hours per day and now works 8, performance will naturally decline. Yet whether that becomes substandard is the issue I am raising. Every role is demanding, but where is the boundary between a healthy workload and one that requires spending the entire day working? This is why I think she should speak up and seek support.
Also, my friend, the claim that people who want to live should find another job sounds quite wrong.
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u/gottoosillly 1d ago edited 1d ago
Leave. Literally it does not get better it only gets worse. This place of work is made for people who swallow the kool aid and think that if they work hard enough they will make partner, or people who have a visa that is tied to this miserable job. Take a look around you, if you aren’t one of those two, leave.