Accenture

I loved some of the ERGs in the local office, as some of the events were covered and paid.

First Friday events in the office provide some festive in-office connection.

Work-life balance on most technology-focused projects was good relative to other service groups.

As with most consulting, networking for a new role can present specific challenges depending on the local office and regional/service group politics. The apprenticeship program that I went through wasn't really all that helpful in gaining hard skills that would make you sellable to new clients.

Because the company isn't performing well at the moment, many clients that Accenture normally works with want people with hard experience. The company also doesn't do a good job with HR support (if you can even call it that) relative to other companies I've worked for. The HR team is more talent fulfillment and "recruiter" focused and not ethics/compliance/benefits focused, making it difficult to find support.

Many clients also don't know much about the apprenticeship program and expect the standard to reach the level of a "normal" employee, which isn't always clear. So, the resources apprentices are getting may not always match what clients are asking for.

There should be no reason an apprentice/associate (or even an analyst) should be on the bench. If you really think that the program should be a "Technology Development Program" or whatever, then provide the tools for new/early-career employees to develop.

I have now been laid off with no actual hard skills or project experience that is sellable to the broader employment marketplace now. Also, stop acquiring companies knowing full well those employees are going to end up being laid off or leaving. Julie has said during earnings calls that they're not just looking for the book of business, but it's clear that's all they are actually after just to buffer their short-term financial performance. In the long run, it's not really going to help, as I have seen firsthand a lot of these employees quit.