Utilization - PwC says vacation won't hurt it but if denominator is set at 1,976 hours that's factoring in 52 weeks minus firm holidays. Shouldn't it be 176 hours less to truly not count against it?

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Vacation definitely affects utilization. They more or less lied about it on all hands calls.

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You're correct, the total hours used to calculate utilization are 1,976 (2,080 yearly hours - 104 holiday hours = 1,976 work hours in a year used to calculate utilization).

But, that's assuming you are trying to get to 100% utilization by client chargeable hours alone.

There are two types of chargeable hours - client and non-client - just as there are two utilization metrics that exist - client utilization and resource utilization.

Client chargeable hours only affect your client utilization metrics, while client and non-client chargeable hours affect your resource utilization. At least, that's how it was explained to me.

Resource utilization is the metric shown on "My Metrics" dashboard and is the one that I understand is used at CRT. Again, this is how it was explained to me, regardless of whatever they've said on the all-hands calls (I don't attend those).

The utilization targets we are given are for client utilization, so feasibly you could meet your client utilization metric (e.g. 73%) while still taking vacation, and end up with a higher resource utilization metric because of non-client chargeable hours (reinvest, PD, internal projects, etc), though not all non-client codes result in chargeable hours.

It's also why, if you talk to people familiar with the review processes, "hours over standard" (or, alternatively "overtime hours") are talked about. The standard is 1,976 hours * your utilization target. Hours over standard could be additional client chargeable hours, reinvestment work, practice development (proposal work, etc), or internal projects.

The expectation is that a certain percentage of your resource utilization is made up by client chargeable hours and a certain percentage by non-client chargeable hours (e.g. PD, reinvest, etc).

Now, go find the FY18 expectations placemat on myKcurve and take a look at the utilization example. Hopefully, it's a little more clear now.

As long as you are meeting your standard client chargeable hours (minimum client utilization), you can take vacation without fear. You can also get a 1 with only the minimum client utilization (I have, multiple times). How is that done? Through having measurable, documented impact. If you miss the minimum utilization metric, it's doubtful you'll get a 1 or a 2, but it's still possible to get a 3, so long as you have other things to lean on which merit a rating better than a 4.

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You mean our employers deceive us?? 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

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Really? I thought vacation did affect utilization. Hope I'm wrong and you're correct!

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Vacation affects utilization. I've flat out had a partner ask me to charge holiday time when I took a vacation because his numbers were down that month. Holiday doesn't count against utilization while vacation does.

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The point they were trying to make was that you should be able to hit your utilization target even if you take vacation. They are assuming quite a few hours will be worked in excess of 40 per week as well. But basically, PwC2 is correct.

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P4 - holy explanation. I think that is way too much detail as there just aren't that many non client chargeable codes floating around to worry much about all that. That short of it is vacation effects utilization negatively as it is not taken out of denominator. When leadership claims no impact, they are reframing the point that if you work more than 40 hour weeks you can still take vacation and hit your goals

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lol all you suckers still working for PwC...go make me more slides bitches!

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S& forgot who acquired whom πŸ’ͺ🏻

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It's not about working lots of hours. As much as it's against policy, you can't deny that partners strongly suggest you eat hours.

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P5 it is may 1 - April 30

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PwC6, if you don't feel like reading it, no skin off my teeth. I was disclosing what I've been told by folks familiar with the process that I trust to be transparent, unlike the not-so-transparent information provided on the useless webcasts and all-hands calls.

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P4, there is no such thing as resource and client utilization - it's just utilization. The number shown in myMetrics is your utilization, it is calculated using client codes and select internal codes. PD codes, reinvest codes, etc. will not help ANY utilization number. Those hours count towards hours over standard but that's a completely different metric.

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PwC 4 is killing me with the essays 🀒

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@S2 Many of us work on strategy, so πŸ–•off.

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It's professional services, quit whining at the idea that you can't make your targets working 40 hours a week. It's not a 40 hours a week type of career. I've always taken my vacation and never had a problem hitting targets. If a role on a project is staffed for 240 hours and you take 40 hours of vacation, reality is you're probably working extra hours before and after the vacation to get that work done.

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E1 We get more?

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That is why our targets are 80% instead of 100%

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@P9, KPMG starts with 25 days as well

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Everyone who works for PwC (including S&) is getting shafted. No vacation for you. Now go make me more slides you scrubs!

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