Plenty of potential but still a long way to go - some tough decisions needed - Anonymous employee BDO Employee Review

1.0
1 Apr 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good office facilities for the most part In spite of the cons, there are some good people in the firm Quite good client list - challenging work is available for staff that show the right stuff Staff catering is a nice touch - management can occasionally get it right although just because they put out a basket of fruit doesn't mean management understand or really care about the needs of staff Well resourced and lots of technical support - some genuine talent in the firm, especially across Australia but overall probably not enough to really drive the firm nationally Good size firm and in some markets could be a real threat to Big 4 if the firm were run better

Cons

Shocking culture - a fish rotting from the head HR function is awful - worst I have ever seen Potential is totally undone by poor calibre top management, out of control egos and internal politics - in short, leaders who don't show leadership Criteria for advancement to senior roles are a joke - too much dead weight at the top level and for a firm to succeed, it needs to promote its "winners" to top jobs Too many senior people whose sole strategy is to "suck up" There are some total under performers at partner level - not necessarily older partners either and some of the poorest performers are younger partners who are arrogant, devious, abrasive and poor on the technical side - there really needs to be a major cull Could not recommend this firm to friends - negatives currently totally outweigh the positives

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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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