Company Background

Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to restoring the public’s trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 106,000 people in 140 countries pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism in providing a range of sophisticated services centered on our core competencies of auditing, accounting, tax, and transactions. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/perspectives. Ernst & Young refers to all the members of the global Ernst & Young organization.

Emergent Company Highlights
Workforce Need: Desire to attract and retain top talent, especially among women and ethnic minorities.

Emergent Practices: Flexible, inclusive, high-performance culture that puts its people first; strives to help everyone meet their personal and professional goals; provides a work environment that fosters growth and is responsive to employee feedback; and focuses on employee retention and advancement by offering continuous opportunities to develop new skills and knowledge.

Programs: Flexible Work Arrangement Program (including reduced work schedules, telework or compressed work weeks) concurrent with providing interesting work and opportunities for advancement; career advancement initiatives for women and minorities within an inclusive culture; 360-degree review process; Employee Assistance Programs; back-up childcare and adult care; extensive training programs; employee feedback surveys; alumni programs; stated “People First” culture.

Key Statistics:

• Nearly 10% of the 23,000 U.S. workforce works on some form of Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA)
• 20% of FWA participants are men  

Awards Won:

• Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For (January 2005) – 7 years in a row
• Working Mother magazine 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers – 8 years in a row and 9 times overall
• Training magazine’s Top 100 in the U.S. – 4 consecutive years on this list and ranked number 7 in 2005

Emergent Practices Description

Ernst & Young recognizes that it can’t be a great organization without great people. The firm fosters a culture that puts its people first by striving to help everyone achieve both their personal and professional goals. Ernst & Young achieves this through programs designed to enhance diversity and inclusiveness as well as employee retention, development and advancement, such as continuous training opportunities, as well as mentoring and networking programs. It also provides a wide variety of programs and initiatives to enhance workplace flexibility and to stay connected to its people.

In 1997, Ernst & Young formalized its Flexible Work Arrangement Program to include reduced work schedules, telework or compressed work weeks. Today, approximately 2,300, or nearly 10% of its U.S.-based workers, are engaged in a formal program, but all of its 23,000 U.S. employees have the opportunity of working flexibly on a daily basis. Everyone works in teams and it’s up to each individual to work with their team to find the appropriate work/life balance.

While women professionals currently make up the majority of Flexible Work Arrangement participants, increasingly more men are taking advantage of this program: 20% of FWA participants today are men, up from 17% last year and 13% two years ago. This program has given thousands of professional women and men at Ernst & Young an opportunity to build manageable, rewarding careers. To encourage participation in its Flexible Work Arrangement Program, Ernst & Young maintains a flexibility Web site that details hundreds of case studies of employees who participate successfully in these programs as a tool to demonstrate that there are many ways to work flexibly and it’s up to each individual and their manager to structure a program that works for them and their team. The firm also offers childcare and adult care programs; concierge services; and has enhanced its vacation and parental leave policies in recent years.

To stay connected to its people, Ernst & Young conducts employee surveys on work-related issues, revamps its programs based on feedback, and also uses a 360-degree review process. In addition, it has developed an alumni network and Web site to foster lifelong relationships with its people as 25% of its experienced hires are “boomerangs,” or those who left the firm and returned.