Stepping Stone (SDC ONLY) - Associate Analyst I EY Employee Review

2.0
25 Jun 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent job for recent graduates. Good pay and benefits are a plus. EY is also a great name on your resume and you will gain solid connections. Overall I would recommend to get your foot in the door and introduce yourself to the corporate world.

Cons

TL;DR: Recommend the job for the experience and the EY name; however, management and leadership is poor. This review is not intended to be a smear piece and is meant to provide context to some of the extremely negative reviews regarding the Service Delivery Center (SDC) and Regulatory Compliance/Financial Crimes Associate Analyst position. As a current employee I almost did not apply because of some bad reviews and want to further elaborate given that I did accept the position. I do still recommend this position as described in the “Pros” section; however, below are some things to keep in mind. 1) Micromanaging and poor overall management is a significant factor in my dissatisfaction with EY. Although long hours are expected, 50–60-hour weeks are often worked in vain due to poor project management and are often announced last minute. So be prepared to sacrifice your early mornings or evenings to reach the hourly goal. As far as micromanaging, the team leads are constantly contacting you that often distracts from progress. Also, promises of early days are lies and disingenuous as much as leadership promises and does not deliver. 2) Inconsistency is another issue. A solid tip is to become a favorite and get your name out there as it is obvious that certain people receive lighter workloads on a regular basis. Otherwise, you may end up with large and complex cases that hinder your performance as far as speed is concerned. I understand this is a reality in many places; however, it is detrimental to morale and often hurts team dynamics. It is also annoying when “Teaming” is thrown around like Oprah gives out gifts. 3) Additional general issues: You will often hear phrases such as “Wellbeing,” “Work Life Balance,” “Teaming,” and other phrases; however, I have seen no effort to make these goals attainable. Expect empty platitudes. You will be assigned a counsellor (although I wouldn’t call them one) where scripted boxes are checked off and grievances are brushed off. Attrition rates are also high as my counsellor informed me that a decent amount (don't know if I can say the number here) leave within a year. Morale is known to be low as well and no effort is seen from leadership to improve. Looking back when I was applying last year, I brushed off some of the negative reviews here thinking the employees that left them were sour, lazy, or had other reasons to exaggerate. However, as exaggerated as they may have been, unfortunately, there was a decent amount of truth. I would still recommend applying as working here is a decent steppingstone and EY is a great company to work for and have on your resume. Just keep these in mind these points as expectations; go in with an open mind; be a decent worker, and it is a solid full-time job for a recent graduate. I never really leave negative reviews, but EY has a reputation to uphold and there is a lot of false advertising for what the lower levels are like.

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).

1015
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All