PROS:
- GREAT company values, lots of fun work perks (a pretty good and flexible fitness benefit, for eg), and many great firm socials.
- The environment is pretty pleasant, and you will probably develop a great professional network of ambitious co-workers and wise mentors!
- It seems like there is a huge rate of participation in the firm teams, groups, etc., and a generally high level of pride in the company.
- A sketched out path of progression (promotions) within all factions.
- At the very least, you will learn A GREAT AMOUNT, and make a lot of amazing friends.
CONS:
- This may be typical of the industry, but the length of your workday/workweek varies significantly between the seasons (specific to business cycles of your main clients) - for eg, I worked ~70 hour weeks for 3 months on end (probably 2-3 holidays in total over this period).
- The concept of overtime compensation doesn't exist (at least for co-ops), and this leads to undercompensated work. It's very easy to lose motivation.
- A (sometimes unreasonable) expectation from you to "work-from-home".
- The teams you're deployed as a part of can vary significantly in terms of how welcoming/accommodating/fun they can be. This can lead to a very stressful environment given the long hours.
- For beginners, there is also a concern re: the large variance in the level of support (in terms of coaching) provided by teams (employees are almost always promoted to "Senior Accountant"-level, even though there is a
3,0
Executive Assistant | Toronto, ON | 14 juill. 2014
Ernst & Young- Executive Assistant
A lot of calendaring for my executive and some of the other senior level employees.
External and internal meetings as I worked in Advisory Services. This was a very FAST paced environment.
Here I learned to enjoy the fast pace and really time manage.
We submitted a lot of proposals so I am very familiar with editing/polishing powerpoints etc. for presentations to C-suite externals.
the hardest part of the job was making sure everything was done by deadline and so that put a lot of stress on me. It was my first job out of university so I really value the time I worked at EY for I was taught and learned on my own how to handle high pressure situations.
The most enjoyable part of the job was when we won a bid and I knew that I helped contribute to that success.
Management and procedures were very organized and there was room for growth. This place was not hypocritical in their values and they did provide growth for their employees.
Co-workers were either really great to work with (regarded me as a friend and co-worker) regardless of what level. OR they were hierarchical and I did not like this. It was quite a big organization so I didn't get the tight family feeling I receive most times at CPPIB.
Points positifseducation could be paid from 50-100% depending on what I took, very reputable company, learned a lot of my executive level skills from working here
Points négatifssome people asked a lot of me and it was not possible when I worked for so many people, I would oftentimes burn myself out because I had trouble saying no or delegating.
3,0
Desktop Support Technician | Toronto, ON | 14 mars 2013
Monkey say monkey do
Worked here for 5 years in their IT department. After 2.5 years they globalized IT. My manager changed and suddenly what used to be a nice place to work wasn't all that nice anymore. Would show up for work, do my work and go home. The perfect work/life balance as once you leave work you wipe your hands clean. Management was horrible as my manager failed to manage people properly. Just because you worked for the same company for 25 years doean't mean you have what it takes to be a manager. I will stop there as there's just too much to talk about. One word is micromanagement.
The hardest part of the job is knowing that no one moves around in the IT sector of the company unless someone leaves or someone dies. If you are in any department other than Core Business Services (CBS) you're in good hands. All my manager wanted me to do was sit at my desk and do my work and go home. No encouragement for taking courses other than stupid online web based ones which only benefit the company itself. For the people that fall under CBS, good luck getting a raise when another recession comes along as people outside CBS got a raise and people within got shafted. My fault as my lazyness kept me working here for another 4 years.
The difference between everyone else and CBS.
Jr. Staff Accountants become managers in 4-5 years
IT Analyst in still an IT Analyst in 5-6 years
If you don't work in CBS working here a few years will do you justice. If you work in CBS, god help you.
Points positifsthe best work/life balance
Points négatifsno room for advancement within cbs
2,0
Law Clerk | Alberta | 10 févr. 2016
Would not work here again
I worked here as a clerk for a year. It was the most hostile work environment I have ever worked in. The management team consisted of 5 lawyers and 4 managers, all of whom were female. It was difficult to work under 9 female managers, especially when there was clear animosity between said management. Staff were treated like minions, working overtime consistently and being scrutinized when overtime was submitted to management for review. But not working overtime resulted in management considering you to be a poor, lazy worker. The people who thrive in this environment are people who do not care for a work/life balance, have little regard for other human beings, and have robotic like tendencies. Not a fit for you if you are mostly human and care to have a social life.
Most clerks I worked with complained of anxiety, stress, and even depression on a consistent basis.
Toxic horrible place to work.
Points positifshealth benefits were inexpensive and very good
Senior Program Manager | Toronto, ON | 9 déc. 2014
EY
Excellent Top 5 consulting firm. Located Globally around the world.
Ernst & Young (known as EY) is a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was the third largest professional services firm in the world by aggregated revenue in 2012 and is one of the "Big Four" audit firms
The organization operates as a network of member firms which are separate legal entities in individual countries. It has 190,000 employees and more than 700 offices in over 150 countries. It provides assurance (including financial audit), tax, consulting and advisory services to companies
The firm dates back to 1849 with the founding of Harding & Pullein in England. The current firm was formed by a merger of Ernst & Whinney and Arthur Young & Co. in 1989.[9] It was known as Ernst & Young until 2013, when it underwent a rebranding to EY. The acronym "EY" was already an informal name for the firm prior to its official adoption
4,0
Director of Finance | Toronto, ON | 28 janv. 2016
Great place to develop and gain experience
You get more experience than you would working in easy 9-5 jobs but it comes at the cost of long work hours, working over weekends and even holidays.
Pay is not competitive in Finance roles when compared to other companies. But working for here is comparable to going to a prestigious school, once you're done with it you'll have a really big name to back you up.
There is a focus on work-life balance but it is all bluff and not real. If you work your 40 hours a week you're seen as lazy and same if you take advantage of working from home. The culture is work extended hours regardless if there isn't any work to get through.
Work politics are a big part of this firm, network yourself well and you'll move up quickly and you'll have a good time working. But do the opposite and you'll hate what you do.
Points positifsGood social events and great benefits package
Points négatifsLong hours, Office politics
3,0
Financial Risk Manager | London, ON | 23 janv. 2017
Experience depends on the team and the Partner you are working for
EY does not actually seem to have a culture. The experience is completely dependent on the team and Partner you are working with.
My personal experience has varied between awful at one end where due to Partners working to their own personal agendas and looking after person favourites there was no interesting work or development, to the other end of the spectrum where I was part of fantastic motivated teams and Partners who work me hard but energized and developed me.
whatever the case, the pay and benefits were very good which made the whole experience a little sweeter.
Points positifsOpportunity to try new things and work with a variety of people, The basic pay and benefits package is pretty good.
Points négatifsProgression and development is not transparent, It's very political environment with a culture of favouritism.
4,0
Cuisinier (H/F) | Montréal, QC | 2 oct. 2016
Environnement de travail agréable, un peu stressant
J'ai beaucoup aimé travailler chez Ernst & Young. J'ai appris à mettre de l'avant ma facilité de gestion du temps en travaillant pour cette entreprise. J'ai appris à faire l'inventaire des produits utilisés sur une base régulière, à remplir et nettoyer des machines à café industrielles, à mettre en place des salles de conférence pour un buffet (et à les nettoter ensuite).
Les gens avec qui j'ai travaillé étaient sympathiques, et le travail d'équipe était une valeur sur laquelle on insistait beaucoup.
Le plus difficile pour moi a été de me retrouver sur les différents étages de la compagnie, j'ai un très mauvais sens de l'orientation...
J'ai aimé travaillé che EY parce que c'était quelque chose de nouveau pour moi, et qu'on me laissait gérer mon temps comme je le voulais. Je me suis fait plusieurs amis dans cette compagnie.
2,0
Staff Accountant | Toronto, ON | 3 juin 2019
Fun Culture but Long and Uncompensated Hours
The work culture can definitely be fun socially as in general as co-workers are easy to talk to and click with. There are a substantial amount of people working there who are okay with the long hours without compensation. If you don't believe in no overtime pay, then you're not going to be able to fit in well. The general expectation is that you will work long hours without expectations of monetary compensation.
The most enjoyable part of the job for me was being exposed to different industries such as healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, etc.
Points positifsGreat learning experience, free meals for overtime, fitness reimbursement, technology reimbursement, car rentals
Points négatifsLong hours, expectation to work without compensation
5,0
Intern | Montréal, QC | 27 sept. 2017
A Learning Workforce
Everyday was different the day before it. it was a great environment to be in that motivates you to succeed more. Everyone around you was eager to learn which pushes you to follow and even exceed their expectations. The manager always welcomed their employees to talk to them with any problem or feedback. I learned a lot from the people around me and the people i dealt with on a daily basis. it was a great place to learn how the business works and how to deal with clients. A lot of the coworkers were around the same age so it was fun working with them as a team and helping each other do better everyday. It wasn't a hostile environment; it was more of a friendly workplace with people eager to learn from each other and from the managers.
Questions et réponses au sujet de l'entreprise EY
Is speaking French needed?
Posée le 9 nov. 2017
No french in not needed in India
Réponse du 21 janv. 2019
French is not required, can be an asset if you work in Quebec office.
Réponse du 4 sept. 2018
Comment décririez-vous l’ambiance de travail chez EY?
Posée le 14 juill. 2018
Diverse and very collaborative
Réponse du 28 déc. 2019
Positive work environment. Diverse culture with respect for one another.
Réponse du 13 juin 2019
Une vérification des antécédents criminels est-elle nécessaire chez EY?
Posée le 12 mars 2018
Yes it requires. They have outsourced this service to some organisation to verify the background of new joinees.
Réponse du 7 mars 2020
Yes.
Past work experience was checked.
Usually takes upto 1 month for complete background check.
Réponse du 6 août 2018
What are the perks offered by EY?
Posée le 2 juill. 2017
Rewards and recognition
Réponse du 24 juill. 2018
Fitness benefit, extended vacation program
Réponse du 4 juill. 2018
Comment bien se préparer pour un entretien chez EY?