Accenture Plc has allowed employees to carry over any unused vacation days into the next financial year, departing from its usual policy as the consulting giant pushes for more business before the end of August.
Employees can roll over their unused vacation time into the next fiscal year, which begins on September 1, reported Bloomberg.
Julie Sweet urges employees to bring in more business
Chief Executive Officer Julie Sweet has also urged employees to bring in more business before the company’s 2026 fiscal year ends this month. The push follows a third-quarter earnings miss that sent Accenture shares sharply lower.
“Our shareholders are counting on us to deliver a strong quarter in Q4 — everyone can contribute,” Sweet wrote in a memo to staff seen by Bloomberg. “This means we all need to find more ways to serve clients that create more revenue in the quarter and to originate more sales (small, large, mega) to finish strong.”
Vacation policy change linked to sales push
The temporary vacation policy change is part of the broader sales push, according to some of the people familiar with the matter. Allowing employees to carry forward unused leave could encourage more staff to remain at work during the final quarter instead of using accrued vacation before it expires.
A separate person familiar with the matter said the one-time policy change is intended to give employees greater flexibility.
Accenture bookings, revenue outlook disappoint investors
The sales drive and vacation policy change come after Accenture reported a 2% decline in new bookings for the quarter ended May 31. The company also forecast revenue of $17.75 billion to $18.4 billion for the three months through August, below the $18.47 billion average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
Investors reacted negatively to the results, with Accenture shares closing 18% lower at $127.98 on June 18, marking one of their steepest single-day declines on record.
AI concerns weigh on Accenture outlook
The disappointing earnings report also heightened investor concerns that artificial intelligence could disrupt Accenture’s business in the near term, even as Sweet has described AI as a “tailwind” for the company.
“AI remains the dominant concern for services and consulting,” Bloomberg Intelligence wrote in a research note last month. “Though management positions Accenture as a long-term AI beneficiary, tangible evidence that AI is accelerating demand is limited.”
Accenture shares have since recovered, closing at $171.11 on August 7. However, the stock remains down more than 36% so far this year.
