Bad experience - Manager EY Employee Review

1.0
23 Jan 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Working for a known brand but other than that, there is nothing really.

Cons

I still find my work experience in this firm "bizarre" in a bad way because of the kind of people I met during my tenure, starting to my recruiter, colleagues/peers, seniors, my supposed "counselor" up to my Offerings Partner (Leader). This made me conclude that this is the worst among the so-called "Big 4" in terms of culture, talent, global mobility (this is ironic given that they have a Global Mobility Team), and work-life balance (or the lack of it). The talent team is only nice to you during the recruitment process but as soon as you get onboarded, you will never hear them again. The onboarding process is so transactional it feels like an admin activity that need to be ticked on a checklist. As an expat, the Talent Team and the Talent Partner don't seem to know immigration process of countries where they recruit. That put me under considerable risk. As an experienced consultant, I know the “plug and play” culture of consulting but this only works if there is effective onboarding process in place and sufficient integration period especially for non-locals. This is not the case as their only concern is to put people to projects because they’re scrambling for lack of resources. I had no meaningful interaction with my peers. It took my counselor and supposed "buddy" one (1) week before they reach out and check in on me. Under pressure, there are even instances where my ”counselor" would resort to micromanaging and corporate bullying. Being staff in a project, you can truly feel that you are only a breathing resource with your seniors having no concern whatsoever to your wellbeing or development. Worse, they will put the blame to you if anything mess up in the engagement THEY sold to the client. They are willing to throw you under the bus so they will look good. In wellbeing, the leaders in my Service Line are too focused in business development that all the talks about work-life balance are really just lip service not manifested by tangible activities that address toxic work habits or promote healthy “working lives”. Working on weekends, holidays, and late night meetings are the norms. Sadly, a lot of freshers are the most affected because they would sacrifice their energies and wellbeing just to deliver. Whilst more and more companies now invest in conducive workplace management with proper social distancing in light of COVID, this firm would not invest in such resource. The office environment resembles that of HASIL offices I've been to.

Explore other reviews about EY

5.0
12 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Varied experiences and client scenarios Intelligent colleagues Excellent benefit package

Cons

Variable working hours Challenge to manage business development and project delivery simultaneously Confusing leadership and service line structure -- in constant state of flux

5.0
21 Feb 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

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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