u/Right_Candy_6089

Recently moved to a project with a use case I really like, but the work culture is becoming difficult. I log in around 9 AM, calls/work continue until 10–11 PM, and sometimes I’m still expected to continue after that.

How do you guys handle this kind of environment? I want to perform well, but I also have a life outside work. Is this normal at PwC AC, or should I start setting boundaries?

Anyone else move from startups to a large consulting company and feel completely out of place at first?

I recently joined PwC after spending most of my career in startups. The work itself isn’t necessarily harder, but the priorities, processes, stakeholder management, compliance requirements, documentation, and ways of working are very different from what I’m used to.

At startups, speed and getting things done were often the main focus. Here, there seems to be a much bigger emphasis on governance, communication, alignment, and process.

I’m also realizing that it’s okay not to know everything on day one. Some skills that were critical in startups aren’t as important here, and there are entirely new areas I’m learning from scratch.

For those who made a similar transition, how long did it take before things started feeling normal? What helped you adapt?

PWC AC India - Advisory / Data & AI folks, need honest opinion.

I’m currently part of a short engagement (~1 month left) which I’m honestly not interested in, and because of that my performance has also not been great. I already informed my manager about this earlier instead of suddenly dropping performance later.

Context:
- Advisory practice, Data & AI team
- Short-term engagement
- Feeling somewhat excluded from key discussions now
- Concerned whether this single engagement can create long-term impact internally

My questions:

1. In PWC AC India, how much does one poor short engagement really affect long-term growth?
2. Can it seriously affect bonus/appraisal ratings for the year?
3. Does one bad project reputation stay for long inside the practice?
4. Can situations like this indirectly lead to layoff/roll-off concerns later even if utilization improves afterward?
5. For people who recovered from a weak project, what helped rebuild perception internally?

Would appreciate realistic answers from people in Advisory,
Data & AI teams.