Ernst & Young has terminated numerous employees in the United States for attending multiple online training sessions simultaneously during the firm’s learning week earlier this year. The company stated that this behavior constituted a breach of ethics and violated its global code of conduct.
Employees Speak Out
Several of the employees who were let go last week spoke with ‘The Financial Times’, which first reported the story, arguing that they had not received any prior warnings from EY regarding the simultaneous attendance of courses. One of the dismissed employees remarked, “Their emails marketing EY Ignite actually encouraged us to join as many sessions as our schedule allowed. We all work with three monitors.” They added, “I was hoping to hear new ideas that I could bring to the table to separate myself from others.”
According to a source within EY, the fired employees did not receive benefits or severance after their termination.
Allegations of Multitasking Culture
Another former employee criticized EY for its demanding work targets, claiming that it “breeds a culture of multitasking.” They explained, “If you are forced to bill 45 hours a week and do many more hours of internal work, how can it not?”
A third employee recounted an instance involving an EY partner who allegedly conducted two client calls simultaneously, switching the camera on and off depending on who they were speaking with. “I know a partner who will do two (client) calls and switch their camera on and off depending on who he is talking to. If this is unethical, then that is unethical, too,” the employee stated.
EY’s Response
In response to the backlash, EY labeled the terminations as “appropriatedisciplinary action,” emphasizing that attending more than one course at the same time was against the company’s ethical standards.
“Our core values of integrity and ethics are at the forefront of everything we do,” stated Ernst & Young. “Appropriate disciplinary action was recently taken in a small number of cases where individuals were found to be in violation of our global code of conduct and US learning policy.”
This controversy has sparked discussions about the company’s policies and the expectations placed on employees in a high-pressure environment.
