EY Fires Employees for Attending Online Training: Dismissed Workers Claim the Firm Encouraged Multitasking

Ernst & Young (EY) has terminated the employment of several employees in the United States for attending multiple online training sessions during the firm's learning week earlier this year. The company stated that this action was a violation of its global code of conduct and ethics. The dismissals took place last week.

Employee Reactions

Those who were let go claimed they received no prior warning from EY regarding attendance at multiple sessions simultaneously. One former employee noted, “Their emails marketing EY Ignite encouraged us to join as many sessions as our schedule allowed. We all work with three monitors, and I was hoping to hear new ideas to set myself apart from others.”

Culture of Multitasking

The dismissed employees criticised EY's work culture, suggesting it encourages multitasking. One individual remarked, “If you are required to bill 45 hours a week while also handling many internal tasks, how can it not?” Another former employee highlighted a partner who managed two client calls simultaneously, switching their camera on and off based on who they were speaking with. They stated, “If this is considered unethical, then that behaviour is unethical too.”

EY's Response

In response to the terminations, EY described the actions as “appropriate disciplinary action.” The firm emphasised that attending more than one training session at the same time violated its ethical standards. “Our core values of integrity and ethics are at the forefront of everything we do,” EY stated. “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.”