Pros
In comparison to other CPA firms, Bader Martin has the best work-life balance. The company provides excellent benefits and perks, such as the option for a flexible schedule between May and August. As demanding as busy season is, the management group does an excellent job of creating a comfortable work environment, providing excellent food on weekends, massages by trained therapists, and the occassional ice cream/smoothie party for the employees. Management also does a great job of communicating working expectations on a job by job basis, and ensuring that the employees do not "burn themselves out" by trying to accomplish too much. I believe the professional training an employee gets at Bader Martin will greatly exceed that of other CPA firms. The technical training is superb, as management holds every employee to very strict standards in terms of work quality. In addition, the employee learns about various industries, as the Company encourages a diverse foundation. The "soft skills" that an employee learns during their tenure at Bader Martin are immensely beneficial. Employees get significant client-facing exposure, and must learn how to communicate to various levels of a cilent's hierarchal structure, such as CEOs, CFOs, Controllers, A/P and Payroll specialists, as well as warehouse workers, and sales representatives.
Cons
During my time at Bader Martin, it was difficult to benchmark my progress as an employee. I felt confused at times because I was told I was excelling in my role, yet I was not ready to be promoted to the next level. When asked about what I needed to do to reach that next level, the responses were often vague and immeasurable. Another con of working at Bader Martin was the segregation between the tax department and the audit department. The two departments are located on different floors, and do not often fraternize professionally (only socially). A result of this segregation is that the two departments do not knowledge-share on common clients, often creating frustration for the clients who have provided information to one department but not the other, expecting the information to be shared among all engagement employees. Clients do not see a "tax department" or an "audit department", they see "Bader Martin." Management continually focused on engagement realization (job profitability); however, management did not align the employee incentive structure to meet this focus. At least fifty-percent of the employee bonus is based on "billable hours," which encourages employees to waste time, inflating their hours goals, decreasing realization. The other fifty-percent of the employee bonus is essentially based on attitude; which is completely subjective and not a measurable goal.