Pros
Great people, some of the best in their field, some amazing friends over the years. Nice offices when you’re working from them. Great marketing presence. Some great Audit clients to work with.
Cons
Be warned, it’s a cult! Big play on culture, great if you have the capacity to get involved around heavy workloads and unreasonable expectations. Massive ego’s throughout, it’s CP or nothing and every other employer is inferior and lives in the dark ages. There is an obsession with growth and growth at all costs. Targets are ridiculous, you can't paper over the cracks and ignore some major issues in that pursuit of growth, its ego. On a massive ego trip to bring in partners/directors from big firms, to satisfy that ego (and who aren’t prepared to do any work!), all on inflated salaries which kills off opportunities for others to progress, often coupled with incompetent recruitment processes for these hires and all to massage a hugely inflated ego. If you decide to leave, you’re blacklisted from 'the cult' and the Audit partners won’t speak to you, no 'farewell/thanks for your efforts over the years' etc, its more like ‘just leave from the back door if you don’t mind, you’re dead to us’ approach, leaves a poor taste. Despite what is said, there is real scrutiny over recovery rates. Teams are working long hours to stay afloat and service clients yet receive little recognition for working hard, neither is there any incentive to, but its necessary. People are under massive pressure and it shows, if you cant deliver, then you're not good enough. Open holiday and ‘work from anywhere’ is a myth or limited to certain people, enjoy it if you can squeeze it in around ridiculous expectations… or if you’re a partner/director who can take off a week every month or saunter in when you want. Lucky if you take your legal minimum holiday entitlement… yes it happens! Open holiday only works if you can take the holiday, not when you're constantly under pressure to chase growth. No recognition for ideas or initiatives, instead these are passed off as someone else's 😠 or you’re told you weren’t good enough to come up with it anyway (as though you’re not important enough to be generating such ideas). Capitalism in its purest form… announcement of record profits but what you’re not told is that furlough still claimed and pay reviews deferred. No bonuses for the team (senior management do) and measly pay increases despite bumper profits and growth… so the partners get richer and everyone else has to work harder. Backstabbing, two-faced, ‘throw under the bus’ type behaviour from Audit managers, senior managers and directors is condoned and reinforced by promotions for these types of people despite this behaviour contradicting the 'Values'… what message does that give to the wider team. You dare not challenge this as YOU'RE then seen not to be living the Values. Instead, lets call it out for what it is. You’ll have to deal with some grumpy and rude Audit partners who are happy to give you a dressing down in front of others, belittle you or throw you under the bus, no one ever challenges that kind of behaviour. Committed and dedicated talent is walking out of the door each week but that’s ok, they weren’t good enough because everyone from the big four is queuing up to join CP! Good luck, you’ll need it. Or better still, find somewhere else to work.
