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Hello fishes,
So what is your experience in increasing ECTC while getting subsequent job offers? How much increase shall we ask on top of previous offer? E.g. Current max I have is 25lpa, how much can I ask HR from next company? Infosys Accenture Deloitte KPMG Hashedin by deloitte Nagarro Tata Consultancy HCL Technologies Wipro
Do we really have lay offs happening in zs ?
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Why Lester, why!
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Vacation definitely affects utilization. They more or less lied about it on all hands calls.
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.
S&3 - I guess you've never seen (or maybe never received) a consolidated reporting package from demand?
If you provide me your pwc internal email, I'd be glad to help you insert your foot into your mouth by sending you today's consolidated reporting package from the demand team, which clearly has columns for client utilization % and resource utilization %.
I'll also have you note that in the myMetrics dashboard the title of the utilization number reported reads "Resource Utilization," not just simply "Utilization."
In myMetrics it even states at the bottom of the Resource Utilization card "staff chargeable hours for external projects and internal projects with credit. There is no utilization consideration for internal hours without credit (e.g. vacation, holiday, training).
There are most certainly some codes for internal projects connected to activities that are considered reinvest work that impact your resource utilization (but not client utilization) and simultaneously increase your hours over standard. How do I know? I've worked on such activities.
P4, ready for this foot in the mouth moment? I spent 5 years on the PwC side before moving over with the acquisition.
There are internal codes with credit, not all are 4 codes. However, there are NO, zero, zilch PD codes or reinvest codes (codes publicly available to all staff to charge their time) that provide utilization. You likely charged time to a internal code with credit for some side HR gig.
PTO and holidays don't count towards utilization... we actually get dinged for it, fucked up. just had a convo about this with my HR partner
Vacation counts against utilization.
Is the timeframe from May 2017 - Apr 2018? Or Jul to Jun?
Also, if you charged 44 hours per week to a client, you could hit 100% utilization from client chargeable hours and take all holidays and all vacation. (104 + 176 = 280hr / 40hr/wk = 7wk, 52wk - 7wk = 45wk, 1,976hr/yr / 45wk/yr = 43.9hr/wk)
For me, personally, that's far from an impossible task.
Most of my projects are long term, T&M projects. For some, that may be harder as the nature of their practices and projects may dictate shorter projects and more bench time , but I'd also argue that I know very few people who truly spend less than 40 hrs / wk when working for clients... whether they charge what they are working is their prerogative, but I always charge what I work.
Take your vacation, stay staffed, charge what you work.
EY uses "effective utilization" as the meaningful metric which reduces the denominator for vacation, holidays, sick leave, etc. We used to use full utilization (which is affected by vacation) 5 + years ago. Maybe you have something similar? (I know Deloitte uses full but they also get more vacation to start so pros / cons I guess)
According to my friend at Deloitte (audit) you start with 5 weeks (25 days) plus holidays, we start with 3 plus holiday until manager when it's bumped to 5 weeks
E1 Yeah, that's accurate. Huh, didn't know that. Idk what's better: having less PTO or being disincentivized to take it
What, you start with 25 days at D?
EY1 - PwC has a metric called global utilization that is the same concept you described... the measurement with vacation, etc pulled out. No one cares about it or looks at it though.
At 80% target, that basically allows for ~9 weeks off client billable (assuming 40 hrs/wk), correct?
Very little of the above is true in the UK PwC firm interestingly.
May they should consider time Solent in FB towards utilization 😜😜😜
Solent * spent
D1, yes well isn't the U.K. on a 35 hour work week also (for calculation purposes of denominator). (Or at least London, I think?)
Yeah, and we bill 8 hours a day by default, and vacation comes out before util target is calculated.
At D, we lose util even for firm holidays
Ya lol ^ pros and cons... I guess it depends what your util% targets are tho
Most of national advisory, which includes the bulk of EYs consulting practices, is between 80-90% effective util target at the staff and senior level and then drops starting with manager. So I actually think are targets are pretty reasonable since taking vacation can be advantageous to your denominator
I also should say our vacation rolls over to the end of H1 the following year, where as I don't think D's does? And we get 3 addition "personal days" (which don't roll over but can be used however) for a real total of 18. Not the greatest not the worst!
87% target is only happening is only happening is you're staffed a project for the full year basically. You have some wiggle room but not a lot.