Fired for learning? The story behind EY's recent dismissals

Who’d have thought too much L&D would be a bad thing?

That’s the question on the minds of many employees at EY after a recent wave of dismissals within the company. In an unexpected move, EY  fired several employees for simultaneously attending multiple online learning courses, raising eyebrows and sparking internal debate. These courses were part of the company’s continuing professional education (CPE) requirements, and the dismissals come at a time when EY is already facing economic challenges and has slimmed its global workforce for the first time in 14 years.

This episode has drawn attention not only because of the abrupt nature of the firings, but also because of the circumstances that led to them. It’s common knowledge that accountants and other professionals in the financial services industry are required to complete a set number of CPE hours annually. For EY employees, the dismissed staff members argue that they were merely attempting to keep up with this requirement and make the most of their time.

What began as a routine effort to complete mandatory training has instead turned into a heated conversation about ethics, multitasking, and the pressures of corporate learning culture.

The Growing Burden of Continuing Professional Education (CPE)

For those unfamiliar with the stringent CPE requirements imposed on professionals like accountants, the system is designed to ensure that practitioners maintain their qualifications and stay up-to-date with industry developments. In the United States, for instance, certified public accountants (CPAs) must complete a minimum of 40 CPE hours each year, with certain states imposing even more specific requirements, such as ethics training.

The problem that has emerged at EY, however, is not the necessity of CPE itself but how it is managed within the modern corporate environment. As work becomes more demanding and professionals are forced to juggle multiple responsibilities, finding the time to dedicate to learning can be challenging. Multitasking has become a survival mechanism in many companies, where employees are expected to meet billing targets, deliver on client engagements, and maintain professional development, all within the same 40-hour workweek.

In May 2024, during EY’s “Ignite Learning Week,” the firm organised multiple virtual training sessions aimed at helping employees meet their annual CPE requirements. Sessions covered topics ranging from digital branding to AI, all relevant in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. However, some employees decided to double up, attending more than one session at a time to speed up their learning. This, EY determined, violated their learning policies and constituted an ethical breach, leading to the dismissals of dozens of US members​.

Ethics and Overreaction?

EY has framed the dismissals as a necessary step to maintain the integrity of their internal code of conduct and global learning policies. “Our core values of integrity and ethics are at the forefront of everything we do,” the firm said in a statement, defending the decision to let go of staff who were found to have breached policy. Yet, the response has been met with considerable backlash. Some of the fired employees argue that they were never warned that attending multiple sessions simultaneously would result in termination. Moreover, they contend that EY itself promoted the idea of joining as many sessions as possible to maximise learning​.

The broader debate within EY—and the professional services industry more generally—is whether the firm’s decision was proportionate to the offense. On internal employee messaging platforms like Fishbowl, some have described the dismissals as overly harsh, particularly in light of the multitasking culture that exists at the firm. “Perhaps reduce their rating, deduct bonus, or even delay promotion, but simply terminating them effective immediately is just cruel,” said one commenter cited by the Financial Times.

Others have raised questions about the firm’s own systems, which allowed staff to open multiple Zoom sessions simultaneously and earn overlapping credits. The issue of whether the onus was on the employees or the system itself has sparked further debate, with many feeling that the firm’s response was misaligned with the infraction.

EY’s Broader Struggles

The dismissals come at a precarious time for EY. The firm recently revealed in its annual report that it had cut its global workforce for the first time in 14 years, reducing headcount by 2,450 employees. This downsizing reflects broader difficulties within the firm, particularly in its consulting business, which saw only marginal growth of 0.1% this past fiscal year​.

EY’s overall revenue growth was the weakest it has been since 2010, with several key business units facing slower demand, particularly in strategy and transaction services​. The firm’s consulting clients have been reducing their spending on large projects, putting downward pressure on fees and impacting the business’s ability to grow at its historical rate. While headcount reductions were relatively small on a global scale, the cuts were likely more significant within specific practices such as consulting, tax, and strategy.

As EY focuses on trimming costs and navigating a challenging market environment, internal tensions—like those seen in the firings related to multitasking during training—seem to be exacerbating existing stress within the company. Employees feel pressured to meet performance goals while simultaneously completing mandated learning. For some, these pressures led them to take shortcuts, which, in turn, led to their dismissal.

A System Under Strain

The situation at EY highlights a growing problem within the professional services sector. While firms demand increasingly higher standards of performance from their employees, the structures in place to support them often lag behind. In a world where professionals are expected to constantly upskill, innovate, and deliver, companies may need to reconsider how they handle their employees’ development.

Firing staff for attempting to meet their CPE requirements in a less conventional way reflects a broader challenge: how to balance the need for continuous learning with the realities of modern work. As the pressures on professionals mount, companies like EY may need to rethink their approaches to training and compliance. After all, if learning is to remain a cornerstone of professional development, it should not become a source of fear or anxiety for the very employees it is meant to empower.