Ernst & Young (EY) has terminated several employees in the U.S. for attending multiple online training sessions simultaneously during the firm's learning week earlier this year, citing violations of its global code of conduct and ethics standards. The accounting firm described the action as a breach of ethics, resulting in what it deemed "appropriate disciplinary action."
The Financial Times, which first reported the news, interviewed several fired employees who claimed there was no prior warning from EY against participating in more than one training course at the same time. One employee shared that EY's internal communications, promoting the learning event known as EY Ignite, encouraged participation in as many sessions as possible.
"Their emails marketing EY Ignite actually encouraged us to join as many sessions as our schedule allowed. We all work with three monitors," one dismissed employee told FT. "I was hoping to hear new ideas to set myself apart from others."
The sacked employees stated they were not provided with severance packages or benefits upon termination, a claim echoed by a New York source familiar with EY's internal processes.
Some former employees also criticized EY's work culture, suggesting that its high workload targets indirectly promote multitasking. One individual argued that being required to bill 45 hours per week while managing additional internal tasks created an environment where multitasking was inevitable.
In response to the allegations, EY reiterated that attending more than one course at the same time is against company policy and violates its ethical standards. The firm emphasized that integrity is at the core of its values.
