Pros
PROS: There are many things that make BPM a great place to work, one of the things that stick out most to me are the people. So many of my coworkers have become good friends and are part of my life outside of work. BPM is also very involved in the community, they host a large fund raising event each year, are involved in several local schools, and even offer BPM Day- a day were the whole firm gets out of the office and spend the day at a charity of choice doing community service. BPM offers very good health insurance to full time employees, covering: medical, vision and dental plans. The company provides free drinks: coffee, teas, and sodas area available in the break rooms every day. During the busy season (Feb-April) BPM offers some busy season perks. There are boxes of fruit that are delivered for the staff during the season to promote a healthier lifestyle. The firm also arranges massage services and subsidizes the price so it is easy and affordable. BMP promotes a great social experience by hosting a variety of staff and client socials over the course of the year. The events range from the St. Patrick’s Irish Coffee Party to the Oktoberfest part and staff/family Ski Trips and firm wide picnics. From what I can tell BPM also offers very competitive salaries, at lest for its staff level accountants. On top of the base salary the company also offers some other great incentive programs such as: productivity bonus, A CPA bonus, and profit sharing 401(k) with a choice of traditional or Roth, just to name a few. Some other great programs that add to BPM being such a great firm is the offering of a tuition reimbursement program, CPA study course reimbursement and extensive and readily available training for all levels of staff. Along with this there are pretax programs such a commuter checks and flex spending that come in handy when attempting to afford living in the bay area.
Cons
Like any accounting firm there are very long work hours during busy season that disrupt the work life balance that is maintained throughout the rest of the year. Also the firm has been growing very rapidly and this has begun to promote a change in the atmosphere and feel of the firm. With this growth, the various offices have begun to develop different cultures. I also feel that as the company has continued its rapid growth there has been a growing segmentation between the various departments: audit, tax, consulting, and wealth management. There is also a noticeable turnover rate at the staff that can be disconcerting, although this may be fairly common within the industry.