Avoid the LA office at all costs - Assurance Senior Associate BDO Employee Review

1.0
31 Mar 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You get great experience by being able to work on a variety of different engagements and industries.

Cons

Everything else. They claim work/life "fit" when you are recruiting but its only a scheme to lure you in. Be prepared to work long hours with enough work to fill up only a part of your day. There were many nights (MANY) nights where I would have to stay at the client site till later hours, 11-12 am, with nothing to do. This was not a phenomenon only I encountered, this was widespread amongst my peers as well. If you ask for work, they give you nothing to do, but expect you to stay. I think this is a scheme to overcharge the client. Fill up billable hours and charge client for overages. There were times we would work on Saturdays even if we had no work to do, no support from the client. When you ask the senior why, the response, because the manager wants us in the office. Tone at the top, loud and annoying with lots of gibberish. Be prepared for a lot of, why am i doing this? Because this is how we do it and i said so. You're better off going to a Big 4. I have friends calling and texting me how much they hate it all the time. So happy I left.

Explore other reviews about BDO

5.0
11 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible work schedule and great leadership

Cons

Workload sometimes is a lot, but that is normal for the industry.

1.0
22 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Compensation is OK. There are some really nice people in the organization to work with, but you have to find them.

Cons

If you are not part of the SWC "club" (company name prior to them joining BDO), good luck. Poor leadership!!! Practice lead talks to everyone like they are talking to a CEO, not relatable in most cases. No clear employee development plans. You are held accountable for things completely outside of your individual control. They stress incorporating AI into work strategy, but have no plan on what that looks like or how to do it and want everyone to formulate it because leadership has no roadmap. One has no control over where you want to take your career, yet you are expected to know everything, about everything. As a result, you become an expert of nothing! Work assigned rarely leverages skills, almost as if they throw darts to see who works on what.

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