How busy is Big4 work load really?

[Believing8nSanta]

Since I have been little I always dreamt of working in a consultancy ... due to the fact my husband is in IT and I didn't have any luck with my plans. I moved to IT role 10 years ago. Now an opportunity has arisen in the big4 in again sort of IT role not consultancy but the company is one I always aspired to.
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However, I'm scared. IT is pretty chill and everyone is sort of mediocre in their ambition so it's not difficult to be high performer and achieve good results.

So my question is how busy and difficult it is to shine in one of these companies? Is it really full of over achievers and super ambitious people that work 24/7? Is there a way to balance work with your personal life at all? It's a senior role btw if this matters.

Thanks!!!

I agree it's very team and role specific.

When I worked in audit I would get emails from senior managers at 2am. But in fairness they never expected me to respond until I actually started work! But it shows how much they were working.

Now I'm in a different role and it's very flexible.

full of psychopaths and workaholics who never want to go home.

Obviously I'm slightly biased because I work for one, but I don't recognise this at all. The senior manager I work under blocks out time to pick his son up from school, let's me do the same, and is very laid back. He's also highly regarded, so it's not impacted his career.

I second this.
The pretty presentations brigade.

All smoke and mirrors from an IT perspective. I can’t stand working alongside them.

This one I second that is

the phrase small fish big pond comes to mind with the big4, thats if the phrase is correct

Most of the commenters haven’t worked in these firms. I have worked in one of the big consulting firms (now banking) and husband works for one of the big 4, worked at others in the past.

And my answer is… it depends :-)

Within these places there are massive differences between teams. I think it’s because these places are led by partners, so much is down to the culture individual partners foster in the bits of the business they run.

If you’ve met the team and they seem cool, trust your gut. If you like the team and the work, I’m sure you’ll shine.

Sounds like you have a bit of imposter syndrome? You shouldn’t. They know what they are looking for, and if you’re it, then that’s great!

My own experiences in these types of companies are that i have done everything from working a very chill 9-5 (bored and miserable) to roles where i was still at my desk at midnight most nights (super fun and interesting so i didn’t mind) and sort of everything in between.

Good luck x

Sounds just like my grammar school

Have you ever worked at one?

I have and really don’t recognise that assessment.

I have recently worked at one of the big 4 on internal projects as an IT consultant (contractor not perm) and - lol at working until 8pm, it is fully expected on the project i was on that everyone from the most junior to the most senior colleague would work until 9-10pm every day and be online for an early meeting at 8am, 5 days a week and work weekends when necessary. A couple of my colleagues would work until 11pm and be back online before 7am monday - friday (either partner or those that wanted to 'shine' as you put it)

I'd like to think that not all their projects are like this but they do think that it's normal/expected and there is no extra pay on offer either.

Yes - several law firms, one of which was part of a big 4 firm, and I know lots of people who would say the same.

For the people who laugh at me working until 8 pm. I have seen close to me people work 7 am to 2 am and I would never do it. I treasure my life.

Btw I emailed HR and they were off for 2 days and didn't get response so at least HR is not supposed to work during pto. Lol.

For some teams this sounds absolutely right, for others less so.

Big 4s are full of bright, competitive people who usually did well at school and are scared of failure. Some fly, some break.

Edited for spelling!

I wasn't laughing at you working until 8pm, i was laughing because certainly on my projects a senior manager would be very frowned on for ONLY working until 8pm - and they are not slow to remove senior managers if the highers ups aren't happy with delivery, think next day removal without warning. I actually think the client projects might be easier in terms of hours worked although of course they can send you anywhere for those.

Go for it, it might be a good experience and hopefully you will end up on projects where you can achieve a good work-life balance but know that theres a good chance that you will be working 70 hours a week often working 7 days a week.

I won't be working on projects, but I have to build part of an internal function which is always risky as things can go wrong and you can fly out quicker than you got hired. Also, they matched my current salary so I don't really have financial incentive to move. I simply don't think the move is worth it as much as I like the name of the company and the prestige part of the whole thing.

Fair enough - sounds like this process has helped you prioritise what’s important to you and the next right move for you. If that’s to stay put, good stuff!

Only one more thing I thought of after, but it’s kind of hard to express second hand. And that’s, if you have always worked a 9-5 kind of culture, the idea of working late a lot does sound dreadful. I’d say my experience of enjoying work has so little correlation to the hours i’ve worked. When i have had roles where i worked really long hours, it was generally worth it as the work was interesting, the team pulled together, the perks made it ok too (first class travel, could expense cabs home etc).

I currently work really long hours in banking and genuinely enjoy my job, and i’d swap that any day for working fewer hours in a more boring role (i know the two things are not the same, it’s possible to work 9-5 and do something interesting, just maybe not so much in my industry). Weekends and holidays are sacred family time and the kids enjoy having smaller amounts of great quality time rather than more time which might not be as quality.

Anyways I know it’s each to their own. My husband who is very senior in a big 4 firm has never worked later than 6pm in his entire career and thinks i’m nuts 😂

Re read your own OP - you specifically said ‘Is there a way to balance work with your personal life at all?’

And you wonder why people are commenting on the work / life balance?

@alkinetyh Omg my husband would never have had the level of anxiety of this decision i have. He currently works in a job that in theory should be very long hours and very high stress and he earns double what I do but he just doesn't care and is able to do it somehow all of it!

I'm just a different person. I stress easily, I'm too ambitious and have high anxiety levels. I switch off more difficult and my work stress reflects my family. I get grumpy and shouty. My husband never let's work affect his attitude towards us.

Also to him is all about money so he would never even consider this job unless they offered at least 20% above what he makes. I wish I was more like him. Lol

If you get stressed easily and it turns you into a grumpy, shouty person, the Big 4 is not for you (and not for your family either as it sounds like you'd be taking your stress/anxiety out on them!).

OP you hit the nail on the head in one of your previous posts from my own experience - success and progression is 100% about playing the game and appearing to be good at your job rather than actually being good at it. The reality is that there are many people in senior positions who aren’t that great but it’s mostly about network, brand, sponsorship etc. if you want to play the game / are good at it it’s a great place to be. If you want to be a success by simply being brilliant at your job, you’re better off elsewhere!

it’s perfectly possible to coast and not be below expectations in most functions though (actually in my many years there it was incredibly difficult to get rid of underperformers), and they certainly don’t make mass redundancies frequently in more stable functions - was a once in a decade event where I was and only ever at SM/Director level.

I've done big 4 consultancy and I think it is a pyramid scheme. Joined as a senior manager and left within a year. Not because I couldn't hack it, just because the work and the set up seemed so pointless.

By set up, I mean the masses of wildly ambitious youngsters working all the time, the pick me-ness and resource guarding of middle management all under the dangling (virtually statistically impossible) carrot of being made partner which fuels the weird culture. It was almost the same zealot look or script you get from those signed up to Arbonne or Juice Plus.

I have never spent a year of work being bored or unproductive apart from this year. I billed £££££ but didn't actually do anything of note. I did things that didn't need to be done. It felt fraudulent and disingenuous.

If you want prestige, work for a proper blue chip. All the swank and glamour and you actually get interesting strategic work with supportive colleagues. If you want to twat about and enter the partner lottery then join a big 4.

Such interesting posts. Some I totally relate to. Thanks all.

@Blaggingit123 what you say about playing the game is really spot on. It's a reality in most companies including my own. :) everywhere you have to work smart not hard apparently. :)

It's not my plan to coast though, and I'm already tired of playing a game in my own organisation so it's 100% not for me. :) I just don't have the mental energy to calculate every move and be careful what I say every second of the day. Life is too short for this bs.

I won't hide my slight disappointment with myself btw for not being brave enough and for not being more of a risk taker. Where I am right now is a dead end job. When I speak to my husband he just says a job is to pay the bills which makes me even sadder ... can't accept a job can't be enjoyable and fulfilling but this is a completely unrelated topic to the big4 question. :)

If you were just like him then you probably wouldn’t be a very good team, people rarely are if they marry their clones.

The most important thing is you know yourself and your own stresses and drivers etc and what would or wouldn’t work for you. Cos we’re all different.

As this thread shows, one person’s stress filled hellhole filled with psychopaths is another person’s stimulating environment filled with ambitious hardworking people 😂

As this thread shows, one person’s stress filled hellhole filled with psychopaths is another person’s stimulating environment filled with ambitious hardworking people 😂
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ this beautifully sums things up, thank you @alkinetyh!!!

I'm a bumpkin.......what/who are the big 4?

This!

Moved to a big4 role earlier this year, lured from public sector by a massive payrise but good god it’s dull, I’m so bored, surrounded by odd people and aiming to get out & back into a more interesting role as soon as I can escape.

If you’re more interested in money than a fulfilling job, I guess it’s for you but Jesus the level of corporate bollocks is quite astounding!