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Chief
The WFH environment has essentially killed the ad hoc coaching that happened on client sites. But yes, the analysts I worked with over the last year didn’t seem fantastic
When did I ever say what city this was for
Mine are kicking absolute ass. Maybe they need a better leader?
The days of just casually walking into someone’s office is over. Now leaders have to step up or sit down. You seem to be the one that is sitting down. While you’re sitting there figure out how to schedule recurring calls with your team, guide them and help them. Make sure they understand the expectations and give feedback.
Chief
Literally every generation complains about this.
Chief
That is the answer
I think the talent level is the same, but WFH has hurt motivation + reduced apprenticeship so we don’t see the ramp of performance growth as quickly as in years past. This can in turn lower motivation so it’s a dangerous feedback loop…
Are you a sub-par manager?
The real focus on the problemo is here. Gap analysis begins
I think Accenture being “Accenture” has high expectations. Just chill, and let them chill. Coasting through life is a thing which the generation before “z” did not know or acknowledge
A3, totally hear your points but I think in my situation where I have a new person on my team (senior analyst up for consultant this year) who can’t perform simple tasks correctly it’s really hard to show empathy and recognize good work. Since there really is no good work.
I grew up in this firm and thinking back to my analyst years I had really great managers / senior managers who have taught me so many things - the importance of attention to detail, how to be client-facing, etc. Of course there are times I messed up but I would always try to learn and improve (e.g., a simple comment like client doesn’t like to be referred as X, always refer to them as Y I would always make sure to fix these whereas right now my SA makes the same mistakes multiple times - despite the repeated effort to tell them why it’s important). This analyst also puts themselves as OOO right at 5pm and gets on past 9 while taking a lunch break - not sure how that’s working the full 8 hours but also definitely doesn’t seem hardworking but yet expects to get promoted.
I honestly feel like it’s because they never went through a recession / just feel like they deserve everything just simple because
TikTok
Yes. I agree. It’s not an Accenture thing as another comment suggested.
Chief
Everybody in the history of the world has said this about the younger generation. Someone said this about you not too long ago
It’s also Accenture and it seems like they hire anybody these days
They just hired me 😢
😋
Chief
When I was a kid I remember hearing boomers say this about gen x. Now gen x is saying it about zoomers. It’ll be like this for the rest of history
Pro
Goddess PIP to the rescue
I would argue that the talent at Accenture post-consultant level is pretty mid/average. Good people find exits and leave.
I think some who went through training in 2020 (100% virtual) are struggling. Going through weeks of training is difficult enough, but doing it all via computer was exhausting for a lot of them.
I've noticed this too, to some degree it's due starting in a remote working environment. Working online, there are a lot of things that they are not experiencing. Firstly online training is not the same as in person training. Secondly, when I was a grad, you could just go up to someone's desk and ask them for help but being online it's not as common. On a side note, I've noticed a lot of the grads coming in seem to have very high expectations around promotion - expecting to get promoted in a year, if not two but aren't willing to put in the work for readiness.
I think this is stemmed from what they see others in FAANG making/doing. It’s not 1:1 comparison but consultancies are in competition with those companies where average PMs and devs make $400k TC with 4YOE. The kids feel like they’re being left behind their peers.
This is something leaders can’t ignore for much longer. The money is there to start at $125/150k, it just a matter of which executives pockets it comes from.
Pro
Idk, ever since I started we've been making record profit every year. I think I'm a good luck charm. Carrying your paycheck on my back. 😤
You are making record profit cause you got a great team to support u. People these days seem to be forgetting this big time!
Be more specific…are you referring to their ability to complete a given task well or pick up material with minimal oversight? Is it lack specific soft/hard skills? If it’s one of these, I would suggest reevaluating how you’re explaining your expectations when delegating and ask them where they need support. Also, refer them to learnings/others that may have more time to teach to walk them through skills. Also, find the right balance between oversight and letting someone try things on their own.
OR are you talking about broader issues with motivation and work ethic? Or not exceeding your expectations of what it means to go “above and beyond” at work?
If it’s this, I would suggest taking a step back and recognizing the larger socio-political context in which these recent grads have entered the workforce. Yes, a lot of us are depressed, isolated, and anxious. There are plenty of distractions (i.e., social media, news etc.) that pull us out of our work (esp w/ WFH). We are also more likely to be mission-driven and hold less loyalty to corporations/employers. What this means at Accenture is that these recent grads are looking for connection (inside and outside of work) and to have employers that actually invest in their well-being. We also will hold our superiors to their word, i.e., I will do the task given, but I will not overextend myself and suffer. We have loyalty to people, not corporations/institutions. (also i’m not saying this refers to everyone, but the new recent grads are more likely to think this way compared to other cohorts).