A Hyderabad-based senior consultant has quit Deloitte after nearly a decade, saying years of long working hours, mounting responsibilities and a 5% salary hike ultimately pushed him to leave the consulting firm, according to a report by Moneycontrol.
The employee, identified as Arjun Singh (name changed to protect identity), told Moneycontrol he joined Deloitte straight out of college believing he would build his entire career at the firm. However, he said growing burnout and a widening gap between effort and rewards changed that outlook.
"I worked more hours than Narayana Murthy asked for and yet got passed for a promotion and got only a five percent hike," Singh told Moneycontrol, referring to the Infosys co-founder whose remarks backing a 70-hour workweek had sparked a nationwide debate on workplace culture. He added that there were weeks when he logged 74 hours of work.
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Singh said consulting professionals are expected to juggle client deliveries alongside internal initiatives such as hiring, proposal writing and business development, with those expectations increasing at senior levels.
"Six people suddenly becomes four people within a five-month timeline," he said, describing what he called tighter staffing and aggressive project schedules.
He also said work rarely stopped outside office hours, with client calls, multiple work devices and constant availability becoming routine.
According to Singh, the bigger disappointment was that exceptional performance often resulted in only marginally better compensation than average performers.
"This year people got less than 5 percent hikes... The burnout comes when recognition doesn't happen," he said.
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While better pay played a role in his decision, Singh said the move was ultimately driven by changing personal priorities and a desire for better work-life balance. He has since joined another Hyderabad-based finance company that offers greater control over his time and improved compensation, according to the report.
Despite his exit, Singh said he does not regret spending 10 years at Deloitte. "Those ten years gave me the experience, confidence and perspective to know that it was finally the right time to take a different path," he told Moneycontrol.
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