WORD IS GETTING OUT - Associate EY Employee Review

1.0
Aug 15, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

One of the only redeeming qualities of this white collar labor camp was the associated name (EY) as a Big Four leader. Still, I met some really amazing people who were caught up in the same post grad catch 22 as myself. You do receive many of the well respected benefits EY offers such as phone reimbursement and favorable vacation time. The main pro is that I now enjoy my current job more because my initial benchmark was set so low with the SDC.

Cons

I can not begin to explain the level of dysfunction occurring in this operation. If you are in search of a position which requires critical thinking or creative problem solving, you will be remiss to accept an offer at the SDC. *Click* *Click* *Click* is all you will hear within the office as new college grads mindlessly go through the motions and wonder if all of corporate life shares the same hopeless monotony. As an escapee, I can assure you, more stimulating jobs await on the other side. Still, one may say, "EY will look great on the resume". Let me be the first, and certainly not the last, to tell you; the industry is catching on to our near-shoring operations and the association can tarnish your professional reputation moving forward. Frankly, I made it by the skin of my teeth to a new position due to the negative connotations associated with the SDC. Many of my peers within the "legitimate" Big 4 world have shared with me that they have, "heard it is a blood bath". Anyway, organization within management is nonexistent and extremely political with few clients actually being sold on BAU projects and instead exploiting our low rates for short term contracts. Due to the bait and switch qualities of this operation, newly hired grads are almost immediately disillusioned and frustrated right out of the gate leading to a negative environment where people openly speak negatively about the SDC and its components. In summation, no collection of words can truly outline my frustration with the SDC's model but I hope the reader understands at this point that they should not accept the offer no matter how tempting the exceptionally low salary (relative to industry standards) is.

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Pros

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Cons

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5.0
Feb 21, 2018
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Pros

1. You will have a very hard time not falling in love with every single person you meet there. 2. Seriously, you will meet your soul mate(s) there. 3. Prestigious and looks great on the resume. 4. Your brain will grow a thousand times more powerful. 5. Forces you to conquer your fear of public speaking. 6. Fun team bonding and lifelong friends. 7. Stepping stone to high paying jobs. 8. Helps you work on perfecting your charm. You will learn from the most charming people how to really get people to like you. 9. HR really cares. 10. Big support network (IT, creative services, etc.). 11. Teaches you to be calm and in control.

Cons

OK, I'm going to be discussing all the taboo things, and there are a lot of them. In spite of these cons, I still admit it's worth a five star rating. 1. High performers are "designated" (you have very little control over your rating) by the partner group (can be a pro if you get selected. Seriously, I have worked with some of the supposed "fives" and they are not any different than my threes and fours. 2. Quality is extremely low. Sometimes I felt like I was working at McDonalds and not a professional services firm. The emphasis is on getting through work as fast as possible and expectations for quality are not realistic. 3. EY has a very hard time firing bad employees. If you get stuck with one it can be a nightmare. 4. EY has a heavy emphasis on wasting time. For example, there are lots and lots of checklists which have no value that you have to fill out. Also, they wasted money and time on creating "Canvas" which is literally slower and more awkward than the previous workspace tool, GAMX. There is a heavy emphasis on "reinventing the wheel" and fixing problems that aren't broken with even worse solutions. Instead of wasting money on useless tools, that money could have been spent on your employees in the form of compensation. Like I said, EY is really focused on attempting to look as though value is being created when in fact it is not. 5. Lots of meetings. Appearances are very important. 6. Employees on global 360 accounts get better treatment. 7. Some employees (executives mostly) tend to overemphasize how important this work is. Let's face it, if it was really glorious work then we would have action figures. 8. Looks are very important. Seriously, if you are a girl, you will get promoted based on how hot you are (the quality of your work is largely unimportant). If you are a guy, you are treated a little better but there is still a sexist undercurrent in the environment. This is advice you won't get from HR obviously, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. 8. You will be forced to eat hours. 9. Your ethical compass will start to get weaker. 10. You will get a little cynical. 11. Lots of driving and travel. 12. "Family men" and married couples with children are more likely to be promoted. If you want to be a partner, you have to be married (few exceptions). 13. You will work on vacations. 14. Loss of relationships with family and friends. 15. Some backstabbing and credit-stealing (but not very common). 16. Comp is below market but that's to be expected. 17. Employee retention is not something management is interested in. This makes you replaceable and expendable (yes even as a manager, unless you have been "designated" as a high performer by the partner group).

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