My Experience as a Black Practitioner at Deloitte
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Morale at McKinsey feels like it’s at an all-time low. Ongoing layoffs have gutted internal teams, leaving those who remain fully checked out. Senior leadership seems totally disconnected, asking for updates from teams that were eliminated months ago. Consultants are more stretched than ever, leaving less time to develop the judgment, client skills, and problem solving that once defined the firm. This place is quickly becoming a relic of the past
I like my job alot. I work with smart people. I have a ton of flexibility. All in (salary, bonus, equity) I make $300k mcol. It's kind of a dead end, I'm not gonna make partner and it's PE backed so I could lose my job at any time. At some point I'll probably be laid off because that just seems to be the new reality. I struggle with looking for a new role because I like my role. But also I feel lazy just chilling. Sanity check if I should try to jump and get back on the escalator or enjoy it?
I moved to chicago for a job in 2022. The cook county minimum wage has increased from $13.35 to $15.40 from 2022 to 2026. I started at $140k as a senior associate consultant. Just to cover the rate of inflation, which is how cook county calculates the minimum wage increases, I should be at $161.5k. I was at $158k before finally getting promoted to engagement manager, which was only an 8.3% pay raise. So I’ve been working my ass off to not even keep up with inflation. Thoughts?
To my peers and colleagues of color who see themselves in this, know that your experiences are valid and deeply important. Being Black is something that can only be fully understood through lived experience, and it shapes us to our core. A lack of empathy or understanding from others does not diminish the truth of our reality. And to you, the OP, thank you for your honesty and reflection. Keep shining and leading boldly, because our people need your voice and presence now more than ever."
If you have to ask…
I feel that to an extent as well, in my case it's slightly better because I'm used to it. I was the only Black kid in my classes all throughout school. I also went to a college that had fewer % of black people than my parents' HBCU had % of white people. Needless to say, I'm used to being the only one. One thing I experience a lot is surprise. I did debate so I'm good at public speaking. Almost without fail, people marvel at how well I speak. On one hand, they're objectively correct (state & national championships), but on the other hand the feeling is "oh I'm surprised you can speak well". I use it as a teaching moment: yeah, you probably don't know many black people in your life, so I'll let you know that we are not a monolith and we're as diverse internally as whites, asians, hispanics etc
I usually just laugh a bit internally. Honestly, I use it to my advantage. I also look young, so I assume that people will be a bit skeptical of me at first so I try to blow the first impression out of the water so that whiplash works in my favor: "wow, I expected this black kid to not know his stuff but dang that was impressive".
Deloitte literally had a massive outflow of Black talent in 2020-2021. They hired a vendor to execute interviews of a bunch of former Black staff asking questions about why they left, what their experience was like, and if they would ever come back. Needless to say peoples experiences at that firm were so horrific that they never released the results of the study. Deloitte has always been a traumatic experience for Black staff. Ill never forget when Shaunti told staff that she felt like a "tiger in a zoo" when among other ppmds due to how they treated her during one of those corny ass "courageous conversations" as they called them.
Yup. When we saw the Indian lady leading that team, that was a supreme slap in the face. We were like wtf are they thinking?
The challenge in this situation is that it is difficult for you to excuse race as the motivating factor. So if you simply just don't fit in or if your manager doesn't like your work style, racist motives are the leading cause. The behavior you described (aside from the DEI issue) happens to white people everyday. I can tell you from fact - two equally non-performing employees get let go but are of the opposite color/race. The white person gets put out without issue. The black person must be carefully documented, given another chance, better severance or reassigned if at all possible just to avoid the perception of racist motives. The government investigations are no joke and in themselves can uncover unrelated issues that come to light. The ripple effect can go way beyond the initial allegations. This is a corporate nightmare so use it to your strength if necessary but a job not working out happens to everyone. Seeing more white faces in a room may make you feel like that's part of the problem but it's hardly the true issue. White Ivy v. white state school harbors much more real animosity, friend. Except no law against discrimination of not being able to afford tuition. If someone is truly giving you a hard time and you really believe the treatment is unequal based on race, then get a free consultation. Any lawyer looking for a good pay day will be the most honest opinion you can get - taking you on at 100% contingency would be a pretty good indication that you have a solid case.
Quite frankly its very racist to assume he doesn't know what he is talking about. As a former EO program director its pretty easy for me to spot. When assumptions are made with no information other than color or ethnicity then it's obvious that stereotypes played a role. Its easy to observe when someone is treated differently. I've even seen more educated and more experienced people accused of being "dumb" and other horrific things.
I see you! I’m a black female senior in this super corporate world just trying to navigate how not to be seen as the “support” to everyone else, when my skills match or often times exceed those I am “supporting”. It’s rough but the only way to make it through and possibly change something is to do so from the inside. So I feel you! And as you ascend the ranks make sure your helping others come up after you. Blessings to you and yours! This was very brave and very accurate. Being at EY it’s the exact same and i wish it wasn’t so.
The world is unfair, swim or sink. I'm a racial minority as well, learned from a very young age that there is no use complaining about differences. I am internally at peace because I choose to focus on what is good while understanding that there are always struggles. Humans are adaptive to their condition, no matter what their conditions are. Even if suddenly you are no longer black, you will have something else to complain about after a while. Be thankful, happy and proud for what you have and have accomplished. Gratefulness will make your life more marvelous and your problems seem small. Your problem is not that you are treated differently because you are black, your problem is that you think somehow you are owed a life where this shouldn't happen. The moment you accept that it's how life is because of complex social and human dynamics, you will be able to find peace living in such a life
Ignore injustice and it will go away. Or you can have the courage to speak up and make a difference that leads to change and growth as humans. Racism and discrimination has been normalized for some (sounds like you) lay down and get rolled over. Or get up and fight back - like Rosa Parks and others. My goodness - with your mentality black people would still be riding in the back of the BUS! RACISM is WRONG.
Spent 2 decades at the same firm as OP and it’s sad to see so little has changed. Left for many of the reasons you articulated. You sometimes get to the point where the brevity of life becomes crystal clear and another day like that, untenable. At one of our annual meetings at DU a white female senior manager stood up and called out how many black female managers & senior managers the firm had lost in the same period they were touting the gains that women had made in the firm’s leadership. She asked what were the plans to address the what & whys of the exodus and the challenges that group faced. You could hear a pin drop. Then the response. Well, the firm really are not allowed to track and provide info at that level! What a crock! I participated in that external study as well after my exit and as I said to the lady I spoke with, I truly hope they take our experiences and try to help the women still there. Sadly, as I see, I wasted my time. All I can say to OP - your experience is valid. Thank you for the courage of speaking out. Find support even if it’s outside the firm and alway, take care of your health.
I mean no lies detected. As a Latino male, I’ve also experienced the same and came to the same conclusion and then I stopped playing the game because I wasn’t gonna win at my last firm, too much drama and history. That being said, I know I am talented and can take on more leadership roles so I am applying to leadership roles. I didn’t bust my ass for years just to fold on the 50 yard line. But yes OP, unfortunately we have to be our own cheerleaders and the goalposts will be moved on us. At the end of the day, this 💩 corporate game needs to be played even more masterfully and the only way you know you have a shot is you know there’s a game to play. I also don’t have the advent of knowing many Latino leaders and players of the game, so how do you get mentorship? But at the end of the day, it’s whatever your next best move is because it’s your game. Also, big ups to the people who came before us because we stand on the backs of giants. 90% of the c-suite in the US is white. In 2025! That’s insane.
D9 - PwC stopped when we elected a new MP.
OP - thank you for sharing. Black professional here too - I could have written this myself…. Hang in there - and if you are pushed to the side, don’t go quietly. Your experiences are your own - do not let anyone invalidate them.
We are exactly were we were before the DEI fakery of 2021-2023 (maybe worse since it was forced down people’s throats). When sh!t hits the fan, folks will support people who they have the closest relationships with (and that’s most frequently going to people that look like them and they can relate to best). Not fair but difficult to prevent.
OP, it sounds like you have a lot of personal insecurities when it comes to your race, especially on a comparative basis. It may be helpful for you to get a qualified therapist who can help you work through that.
KPMG - The tone was reflective not accusatory lol. If you read the first line and the first sentence of the last paragraph , I speak for myself reflectively. I’ve reiterated that many times. I’ve been at the firm for 7 years and blessed to have made it to M. I’ve ran into people like you all the time who cling to their narratives of someone else’s experience , ignore the context , and double down on their assumptions because accepting nuance would mean questioning their comfort zones or admitting they might be wrong. Not my first rodeo. Your misinterpretation of me not being secure comes from bias.
Feel this as a woman in the profession too.
🙄 (White) Women are always the first and usually the benefactor of all things DEI. 1990s maybe even 1985s to now, white women have overwhelmingly benefited from anything DEI. If you are a woman and a minority, you feel the effects like a double tipped sword laced with poison. But this poison has an antidote and it’s in the hands of the white women. Sadly being black and male…. I would say further but I don’t wanna get banned again from FB 😂
The target schools that my office and practice area of Deloitte hired from annually were: -3.03% of NYU is African American -5.8% of Penn State is African American -5% of Lehigh University is African American -5.11% of Carnegie Mellon University is African American -8.55% of Case Western is African American -4.01% of Notre Dame is African American -5.4% of the University of Texas is African American -2.8% of Texas A&M University is African American -6.15% of North Carolina State is African American -7.8% of UNC Chapel Hill is African American I bring this up because that is the top of the funnel for the recruiting pipeline at Deloitte, and they typically hire hundreds of new analysts every year from the target schools of each respective office. I can't speak to university recruitment on the whole other than most of the analysts and consultants I worked with during my time at Deloitte all came from a selection of target schools that are generally affiliated with each office.
Sure but whether it is Deloitte and also having worked with and interviewed at McKinsey, their interview process was even more rigorous and selective. When I interviewed at McKinsey I took at twenty something question test and had I not scored high enough on that, I wouldn't have moved forward through the cases and interview process. I can imagine that McKinsey would never release their hiring data or results either and given the test, there would be even more hard data than Deloitte would have. It wouldn't shock me though given that NYU got hacked, that a career services center could be hacked and then some of the data from Deloitte, Accenture, and other consulting firms could be released.
Cry me a river. We live in a jungle where the weak are prey to the strong, where you either eat people or risk being eaten. What are you going to do about it?
Cry you a river? For what? I’m not looking for validation. It just strikes me as odd when people act above the conversation simply because they won’t reflect on their own discomfort in competitive environments. The reality is, I either put up with the BS or move on to somewhere else; that’s the game.
I am going to hit you with the biggest one-two you never expected: - I believe every word of what you said - Living similar experiences made me a Republican I am also a POC. The greatest lie pedaled to us circa 2020 was that top-down institutions would be the key to our equality. In reality, it was nothing more than marketing and lip service to make the privileged (white) elite feel good about themselves. All that antiracist discussion and media was virtue signaling and band-aids by the wealthy to avoid putting in the hard work. Life just isn't fair. We work twice as hard for half the credit. Promised opportunities never materialize. Advocates melt away when it matters. People are surprised to see someone "like us" in the room. Every action we take reflects not just on us - it's on everyone who looks like us. We're the assigned mentor to a half dozen people of our race who wash out in two years, with no mentors of our own. In the end, we were made into nothing more than tokens. There's a lot of people out there who will sit in their (white) reality while lecturing you about yours. And there's simply just no substitute for putting in the hard work yourself - building the right networks, delivering on your projects, and setting a shining example. No "support group" will ever deliver that, because that's not what they're built for. It's just top cover. There is no savior. We don't need handouts, we need opportunities. Good on you for sharing your story, and I respect you. You are more than just your race and how others see you. You got this. Go get 'em 💪
I'm not black but I do come from a very underrepresented ethnic background in my industry . I am typically alone in boardrooms. In tech, black people are severely underrepresented. And almost without a hitch I can identify the black person from an email or a chat thread because typically they use impeccable english. :). By default I'm always happy to work with a black person because usually if you got to this level means that you have an impressive skill set and background. That's just reality. I don't think biases come from a place of malice but they do exist, but I think that in North America we understate severely how relationships and social networks play an oversized role on how well you will do in life for most people. Just to be clear, I genuinely hope we can really move to a true meritocratic system, but we are not there.
OP thank you for sharing your thoughts in such an articulate manner. As a black female professional, I could have written a similar note. It’s real and it’s tough.
We had a black President of the United States elected--twice.
D9 wants whites as slaves. Thats his progress. Will never happen, but you can dream. You are aracist African American who has deep resentment and hatred towards whites. This is a sad existence.
These are numbers that won't get much better in tech. Though less about theorized "race" seeing that the DNA is 99.9% the same. Race came around in 1800s by the slave peddlers. This is purely a class war. Globalized and polarized by the media.
I agree with Adam to an extent about race. Race is a made up societal thing. And most in society uses it as a way to feel good. Meaning that: if there is someone beneath you or someone to hate - doesn’t it bolster you up? Doesn’t it make you feel better to say: at least I’m not (enter race here)? SMH You even see it in the Hispanic community inside and outside of America. Where they are ranking themselves as if it matters. (white) Americans don’t care if you’re from Ecuador or Chile, they probably don’t even know where that is on a map - “you’re Hispanic so you’re Mexican and you don’t belong here.” Look at the deportations after Latinos overwhelmingly voted Republican and for Trump. now they FAFO (ex: Cubans, Venezuelans) We are truly in a class war and always have been. Even the caste system of India despite being outlawed is still ingrained in their society. A made up system based on class. Society has always been in a class war. And race is used as a detractor. Because if we are fighting with each other, how can we truly see what the hell is going on? But the sad thing is:
I could have written this story myself. I am still sick to my stomach thinking about uncle D. They have all these white female managers reading scripts with no emotion firing practitioners.
Sigh look up the definition of racism and prejudice. I’m not going to back and forth with you on the tired rhetoric of black Americans being racist, something spoken time and time again in the past 12 years since 🌮 became president. I will leave you with this: Interesting how you skip over the clear point that a 14 year old boy was beaten, shot, mutilated and then thrown into a river OFF A WHITE ADULT 21 YR OLD WOMAN WHO CLEARLY KNEW THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT HER LIES will be. She also knew her word would be taken as fact over a black boy. She knew the “open season”. (And that season has never closed because of the continuation of Karen’s and people like you who support them and their racist rhetoric) All of this, is the EXACT reason why Emmett Tills mother ensured he had an open casket funeral. so the world and nation could see what was done. And yet the true history of the nation is being wiped away from being taught in schools so your kids and grandkids will one day say the same crap you said above with full chest. That a black woman can be racist to a white woman in America especially in 🌮 America. 😂😂😂 But oh wait I have more… we live in the same country that allowed the memorial marker made for Emmett to be vandalized again and again by U Miss students until they finally had to replace it with an indestructible one. Carolyn Bryant died in 2023. Emmett didn’t get a chance to have kids or grandchildren. I can only hope she raised her kids to NOT be Karen’s but only time will tell (if we are so lucky for any of their racial transgressions to be done publically so we can shame) Again have the day you deserve at the firm whos #4 in a total of 4 - if you could even give them number 4. Your firm doesn’t excel at audits nor consulting. Mediocre - just like you.