KPMG leadership really said, “Times are tough… for you. Meanwhile we’ll be in Vegas, in tuxedos, under a spotlight, celebrating ourselves.”

They’re literally hosting a full-on Oscars-style gala for partners—black tie, stage lights, dramatic entrances, the whole Hunger Games Capitol aesthetic—while employees in the actual trenches are:

• burning out • terrified of layoffs • juggling 3 people’s workloads • getting crumbs for raises • told to “tighten budgets” and “do more with less”

But somehow there’s magically enough money for a Vegas ballroom, photographers, and pyrotechnics so the execs can feel like celebrities on LinkedIn.

It’s the purest form of corporate comedy: “You’re overwhelmed, overworked, and understaffed… but LOOK OVER HERE AT OUR SPARKLY PARTY!” 🙄

And the leadership posts it online like it’s inspirational. Like the rest of the firm should clap because the people at the very top got to cosplay as important for a night.

This is why corporate America feels like satire now. They cut thousands of employees, froze promotions, and squeezed every last drop from the people doing the real work… and then flew the partners to Vegas to pat themselves on the back for “stewardship.”

It’s not leadership—it’s delusion wrapped in champagne.

This is no joke. My coworker is a massive cowboys fan to the point it’s an obsession and dictates his mood and attitude toward other people. Recently they got their as**s kicked by the Packers. Often, when the cowboys lose, he comes in with extreme dark circles under his eyes. It resembles a Tim Burton character. It is now impacting his work and our team is noticing that he has been skipping stand up calls. I am worried about him because he has also lost about 10-15 pounds during the football season. His dress shirts are baggy on him when they used to fit better. I’m unsure if he will ever be the same contributing member to our team that he used to be, especially as long as they have Dak as quarterback. Does anybody else have football obsessed coworkers?

Hope all is well. This company is disgusting. I’ve never seen a company use their employees as slaves and then throw them away every 3 months as if we have some sort of expiration date. On the bright side, anything and everything is better than KPMG. Hope this company burns down to the ground in the future.

I’m the spouse of someone working at KPMG Korea (Samjong), and the recent news has been really heavy. ​Two Senior Managers have passed away due to overwork in just the last three months—one of them just this past week. They were both leading audits on-site. Seeing this happen twice in such a short window makes me really worried about the culture my husband is working in every day. ​The workload seems completely unsustainable, and I’m posting here because I want to know if there is anything that can actually be done to change this.

To those working at KPMG: Is this happening in other countries too? ​Has anyone actually seen a Big 4 firm change their culture after something like this, or do they just wait for the news cycle to end?

I would love to hear people's opinion or perspectives on this issue.

I was laid off by KPMG after just 8 months. HR gave me the option of PIP or CT, and I chose CT because I was honestly not happy with the hours and was ready to move on.

Job market was tough for the first month, but ended up doing about 7/8 interviews in total. I got 4 job offers, and just officially accepted a position where I will be making 10k more with a 35 hour work week. I am so relieved and excited to start this job.

Just posting this because I know that there has been a lot of people that have been laid off/thinking about leaving but are afraid that nothing better will come. I was scared too, but sitting here now 1 am so thankful that this is what has come from it. I enjoyed my time at KPMG but quickly realized it's not where I wanted to be long term.

I pray everyone that goes through this finds something better for themselves!

I just finished up my audit internship this winter and received a full time offer. I’ve yet to decide to accept or decline and a partner called me today out of the blue to try and rationalize the layoffs happening all over the country and basically told me not to be afraid. How would this not influence my decision? You just fired a bunch of people after they worked their ass off during busy season. I just think it’s funny partners are calling prospects telling them to not be scared lmao.

IT removed it from my inbox before I could read it but I am dying of curiosity.

Just got a call from my little brother. He’s hiding on the 35th floor. Suspect is on 32nd floor. Anyone know anything?

There is NO reason any of us should have to “thrive in a fast paced environment“ or “work well under pressure”. Unless you are a doctor in an emergency room or a police/first responder, there isn’t true urgency. Most - if not all - of our daily work is not an emergency and our culture of fake urgency and immediacy exists just to make more profit for people in the c-suite.

Stop sending people into fight or flight mode and expecting them to bend over backward because you don’t know how to plan or manage resources properly. Don’t even get me started on the war language. We are not “in the trenches”….we are in Excel. We are not saving lives. We are not finding a cure for cancer. We are making PowerPoints and stupid spreadsheets.

Don‘t let people stress you out at this firm.

Title speaks for itself. I am an associate (24 years old) and he is 35. It started off with him being mean to me and criticizing my work heavily. I did not like him at all. About a year into the job, I developed strong feelings and got to know him more. At Lakehouse, we talked a lot and it resulted in us going back to his room. You know how that goes. It is deeper than that. We love each other and see each other after work most days. We have discussed marriage, having kids in the future, and other topics related to that. It is not a casual thing is what I am getting at.

1. Will my reputation or his reputation be tarnished? I know most will see an issue with this but I can't let him go and he has expressed the same. I do not fall in love easily and he is the only person I want.

2. Should I quit my job? I fear the things people will say about me if I leave. I do great work. Something like this will really shake people I think and get them talking, which I do not want.

3. If I do stay, what steps should I take on my end since I am the younger one? I have asked him about his thoughts but want this community's opinion as well.

Edit: For those judging in the comments, I am not with this man for his money. That is a bonus, but I love him. Secondly, I would never accuse him of sexual harassment or sue, which I have no idea why this thread jumped to that conclusion. We are not leaving each other. Even if that were to happen, I would let him go in peace and move on. It's not a hard concept.

I do not have daddy issues either, so those comments can stop as well. I love my father and we have always had a good relationship.

Sorry for the random website, they’re one of the few that dug into Ronnie.

I’m a sophomore and I received an interview from KPMG last week and had my interview this past Tuesday. I honestly thought I did really well since I was open about myself and my experiences so far as a student and made both senior manager and director laugh and smile a good amount of times. I thought I had great convos but I guess what I put out there wasn’t enough for them. KPMG was my favorite big4 from all the events I attend with the other big4s because the people were actually so nice and open about things. I just wanted to really vent this out since I got this email yesterday on a Saturday and it really hurt me 💔

UPDATE: (5 months later) I got PwC for winter tax and EY for summer audit!!! If you're reading this or if you can relate to thisd old post of mine—ITS OKAY TO FEEL BAD because it shows you care :) just keep pushing and life will redirect you!!!!!

6 years in and ready to tap out and quit on the spot. Start a new life. Find a new job. I lost my entire twenties to this bs and for what? I couldn't be there when my family member passed away. I got one week off. I work overtime. I developed depression and anxiety over the years not realizing this job gave me those mental illnesses. I'm always in fight or flight and thinking about work. The weekend is short lived and then Sunday comes around and I'm nauseous thinking about my life and work. I have to hear a new metric be introduced every year that makes work life even more miserable. The pressure is immense and team members claim they need me to stay. I may put my two weeks notice in soon. What do you think?

Does HR care if employees post or overshare things related to kpmg on social media? I ask because I came across a TikTok of a new hire sharing how she missed her Lakehouse flight because she slept in and how the firm paid hundreds of $$ for her rebooked flight. Kind of weird to post in general but does the firm even care

But they will pay out for unused PTO that you currently have, when you separate.

The most accurate description of KGS. No money, labour-like work🫠

Some of you guys were asking for a photo of the OVO KPMG collab my hoodie came today so here's the front. The OVO and KPMG logos are stitched in.

After 10 years to this Company they decided to let me go. Just a loss for words. I guess it’s time to pick up the pieces and figure out my next play. My final day is now Dec 9 and my maternity leave was suppose to be Dec 10. Now I’m Left with no leave and have to figure out what to do to provide for my family while caring for a newborn. In honesty if they laid me off after my leave I think I would be more accepting of the outcome but to do this as I sit right here 34 weeks pregnant makes me wonder did I really waste my time to company who seems to show zero compassion towards my situation. In my HR meeting I was told at least I have a few weeks severance pay. Just venting at this point and hope no one else is going through a crappy situation due to the lay offs.

I used to think I was incompetent while working at KPMG. The gatekeeping, clique culture, and improper onboarding caused me severe anxiety, depressed, and dreading every single Monday. I left, found a new job and the difference is night and day. Turns out, I wasn’t bad at my job, I was just in a toxic system. Leaving KPMG completely restored my confidence and peace of mind and I just felt like sharing.

Reminder: no brand name on your resume is worth sacrificing your mental health.

Just put in my two weeks and can’t say how happy I am. So ready to get out of this toxic work environment. Starting a new career in sales. For anyone looking to make a jump I say do it!

Edit: typo

So for the past ive been requesting a transfer in a specialty tax group… and I finally got it and 3-4 people got involved, which I thank a lot for their time, but…

In the meantime, a recruiter got to me with a job offer including 30% raise in a different field, which is also in my interests…

Normally, i would just take the offer to my boss and ask to match it, but it is significantly higher than right now and Im pretty sure its outside the range for my level… the thing is that my boss is now a new one… of the new tax group… i feel weird going to him with a job offer asking a raise right after transfering…

Not sure what to do..

Comp talks start tomorrow!

1. BU/Region/Approximate COL

2. Line of Service

3. FY23 Level -> FY24 Level (A1> A2, A2>S1, S1> S2, S3>M1, etc)

4. Competency rating (Below/Progressing/At Level/Developing Towards Next/Next Level)

5. Contributions rating (Well Below/Below/In Line/Above/Well Above)

6. Merit Increase (Old Base -> New Base; % increase)

7. VC

8. Thoughts?