u/Due_Arrival2504

I’ve been harboring a grievance for a couple of months now.

I was promoted in June—after more than five years, I finally got that promotion. But before that—starting from my very first year at Accenture—I had been recommended for promotion and received excellent feedback. My PLs kept telling me they’d do everything possible to get me promoted, yet nothing ever actually happened...

I tried to help out within my capability, make myself visible, and volunteer for things; I even taught courses to my capability group and always gave my best on every project.

"Maybe next year."

It reached a point where I stopped caring; I decided it was best to just do my job and to hell with going the extra mile...

I rolled off a project and spent a few months on the bench. During my final interview, they told me I was a great fit, but my level was the issue: the position they were looking to fill was two levels above mine. I was a CL10, and they wanted a CL9 or CL8. Eventually, they gave me the opportunity—realizing I really should be at least one level higher—and I got the promotion in June.

After chasing it for so many years, when it finally happened, I wasn't happy or satisfied; in fact, I felt annoyed.

I’m based in North America, but my project is led by an all-Indian team. Because of this, my schedule had to be adjusted; I used to work 9 AM to 6 PM, but now I work 7 AM to 4 PM. Since I was part of volunteer groups within my capability (handling engagement committees, onboarding, candidate interviews, etc.), I asked that these new meetings take place during my working hours—meaning before 4 PM. Everyone agreed except for one person: my former PL (since I’d been promoted to the same level as my old PL, I had to find a new one who was at least one level above my new rank).

She refused. Even though everyone else said it wasn't an issue, she wouldn't budge. I didn't make a big deal out of it; I just thought, "Okay, well, I simply won't be able to attend the meeting, then."

As time went on, I saw they needed an extra pair of hands, so I brought it up again: "Hey, if you need help, I can pitch in—but please, we need to move the meeting times so I can actually attend."

Once again, everyone said they were fine with it, but the only one who objected—and who had apparently appointed herself the leader—was my former PL. She said no, but this time she took it a step further; in the group chat, in front of everyone else, she told me:

"You got promoted, but you didn't earn it; you didn't deserve it because you aren't willing to go the extra mile. You were promoted because they needed someone with your specific knowledge and rank, but if not for that, they never would have promoted you. To get promoted, you have to go the extra mile—staying late, coming in earlier than everyone else, even skipping vacations. That’s what 'going the extra mile' means; that’s what Accenture values ​​and needs, and you aren't willing to do it."

I just thought, "WTF is wrong with this girl?" And I replied, "Sorry, but I have set working hours. I’m not refusing to help you, provided it falls within my scheduled time. I understand that emergencies pop up in projects requiring us to stay late, work nights, or work weekends, but this is voluntary work. If I have to choose between working late and resting or being with my family... well, I’d rather be with my family, resting."

To which she replied, "Well, if that’s how you think, you’re not going to advance anywhere."

I don't think even Julie Sweet would say that to me. And this person wasn't even a manager or someone with real authority on my project; she was just another CL9 "slave" like me. I have no doubt that during the time she was my PL, she decided I didn't deserve a promotion and didn't lift a finger to help me.

Later, I feel she realized her mistake—not in saying what she really thought, but in saying it in front of everyone. She sought me out privately, using a conciliatory yet hypocritical tone, saying things like, "Oh, well, maybe you have a heavy workload—I know your project is demanding—and that’s probably why you don’t want to stay an extra hour or two. But tell me, maybe I can help? I’m not your PL and we aren't on the same project, but if I can help lighten your load, just let me know."

That was just stupid.

Accenture is constantly running public campaigns about preventing burnout, "disconnecting to reconnect," and things like that. Yet this woman—who has no authority and who, unfortunately for me, was my PL (someone I thought would advocate for my career)—was upset because I didn't want to work extra hours for free! ...for not going the extra mile, and on top of that, being told I don't deserve my promotion...

I didn't talk to anyone about this; I don't like drama—I prefer working peacefully and having a good relationship with my coworkers—so I didn't see the point in bringing it up with anyone else... at least I've shared it here on Reddit.

I have two PCs, both with Ryzen 7 7800X3D processors and 32GB of RAM, assembled before the rampocalypse.

One is connected to the TV with an RTX 3080, and the other is in my room with an RTX 4080 Super.

I play at 4K on both, and I like to play at 4K and 60fps, but the 3080 is already lacking; the lack of VRAM is noticeable.

I was thinking of buying a 5070 Ti, but I don't know if I should make the effort and go for a 5080, considering I only want to play single-player games at 60fps in 4K. Which one would be better for me?

Thanks

I belong to the ACN US office, CL9.

On my project, there are very few of us from the US; most are from India, and there's a significant time difference.

Since joining this project in January, I noticed that my colleagues from India were working 12- to 14-hour shifts, and then they gradually started asking me to do the same—you know, meetings before or after my shift—until, without realizing it, I was doing the same.

First, meetings at 6:00 AM, then at 5:00 AM, then at 9:00 PM, then at 11:00 PM.

I shared this with my local manager and my internship leader, and they told me that it was normal to have to help out overtime at the beginning of a project, but not daily; it had to be occasional, not permanent, and those hours had to be paid somehow.

So I spoke with the project manager and told him that the total overtime hours worked were equivalent to four days off, and asked him to please tell me which days I could take them.

He seemed annoyed and told me he would let me know, since at the moment it was impossible for me to take those days, as we had a lot of work and they needed me there.

A month passed and he didn't say anything, and the hours kept accumulating. I spoke with my local project manager, and he told me that this wasn't right, and that it was already too many overtime hours. And that wasn't the agreement I signed when I was assigned to the project. Two months ago, he emailed the manager in India saying that all overtime had to be documented so it could be charged to the project and billed. It wasn't about making up the time worked, but about analyzing whether overtime was truly needed and billing the client for it. At this point, the total overtime worked already amounted to two weeks' worth. I was extremely tired, so my local manager told him:

"And I'm letting you know that this guy is going to make up these hours by taking two weeks off at the end of May."

The project manager in India didn't reply, but continued requesting overtime from me. I replied that OK, but we had to make it official so we could charge those hours to the project. He said no, not everything had to be about money, it was for the client, for Accenture, and above all, for our colleagues. I replied that fine, but my instructions were to report these overtime hours in my timesheet. to be charged and billed, and he replied:

"You know what? Forget it, thanks, go and rest, we'll work."

The forced overtime ended.

A week before my "vacation" days, I contacted him again, just to remind him about my days off, since he hadn't responded to any of my emails, and only replied with:

"Do what you think is best."

I went to rest for two weeks, slept, I was very tired, I didn't go out, I didn't go shopping, I just relaxed my mind, and I returned to work a week ago.

I reported back, expected more tasks, but it's been a week where I've practically done nothing. No tasks have been assigned, no meetings have been scheduled, my calendar is empty, and my emails and Teams messages are going unanswered.

It's obvious he's punishing me. I don't know what's going to happen or how to handle it.

I spoke with some colleagues in India, and they told me they had a lot of work and were still working shifts of at least 12 hours a day.

Out of curiosity, I asked them if they received any kind of compensation for these extra hours—money or time off—and they said no, that they simply work them for free and there's nothing they can do about it.

Is this normal for Accenture employees in India?

I don't know if the project leader in India isn't assigning me tasks because he's trying to get me off the project, or if he's acting like a child waiting for me to apologize for asking for breaks. Anyway, I don't care; I just don't want to have a bad time.

If he wants me to keep getting paid for doing nothing, fine by me. In the meantime, I'm keeping records as evidence that I'm available and waiting for tasks, and that I'm not getting any responses.

I've been with Accenture for almost six years. Honestly, all my projects have been pretty good up until now. I don't mean to sound rude, but this is the first time I've worked on a project primarily based in India, and it's extremely frustrating.

Anyway, we'll see what happens.