Chapter 1: Developing EY people to navigate what’s next
Giving training and support for increasingly diverse career paths
In FY20, before the pandemic, EY completed the global roll-out of a state-of-the-art learning platform which positioned EY to rapidly ramp up delivery of virtual learning.
During the pandemic, virtual learning increased from 31% of total hours in FY19 to 55% in FY20, as EY people made use of the opportunity to develop their skills while they are working from home. In FY20, EY invested over $450 million in formal learning – spend decreased from FY19 because of a reduction in travel when classes were cancelled mid-year due to COVID-19 – and delivered more than 16 million hours of learning.
This year also saw the launch of a new EY Tech MBA by Hult International Business School. One of EY’s most anticipated and ambitious learning programs, the collaboration makes EY the first organization to offer an entirely virtual MBA for free, for all our almost 300,000 EY people in 150 countries.
One of EY’s most anticipated and ambitious learning programs, the EY Tech MBA by Hult International Business School makes EY the first organization to offer an entirely virtual MBA for free, for all our almost 300,000 people in 150 countries.
The MBA builds on the EY Badges program, which gives EY people future-focused skills. There are now more than 100 EY Badges to choose from, covering topics such as technology, sustainability and leadership.
EY people have already earned more than 70,000 Badges with more than 100,000 Badges underway, with Data Visualization and Digital the most popular.
In today’s quickly changing world, ideas of leadership are changing fast too. That is why EY has also developed a new Transformative Leadership model that brings together EY’s purpose, values and the leadership behaviors the world needs right now. The model is designed to help everyone at EY build a ‘‘better me’’, a ‘‘better us’’ and a better working world for EY clients and society.
We are also focused on offering ‘‘multi-track’’ career paths, supporting increasingly diverse career journeys, empowering EY people to build careers that are as unique as they are, and to proactively seek out the experiences that will help them go further.
As the world undergoes unprecedented change it’s more important than ever for EY people to never stop learning. Indeed, clients’ ability to innovate depends on it.
Chapter 2: Talent acquisition and attraction goes virtual
Interns rise to online and in-person opportunities
This year all Talent acquisition and attraction and onboarding activity – interviews, career fairs and recruiting events – were converted almost overnight to a virtual experience in order to continue to support recruiting needs in EY.
In FY20 more than 76,000 client-serving people from almost 2 million applicants were welcomed to the EY family.
In FY20 more than 76,000 client-serving people from almost 2 million applicants were welcomed to the EY family.
Long-standing commitments to internships were honored, despite the disruption caused by COVID-19.
EY offered 15,000 internships this year, with more than half delivered virtually. EY interns took to social media to share their experiences, through Instagram takeovers and stories, and even posting ‘day in the life’ content from their homes, complete with guest appearances from pets, roommates and children.
EY Talent Attraction and Acquisition teams worked hard to provide a valuable experience, with interns contributing to live projects and delivering meaningful work even if they were working from home, and ensured that interns felt supported by the EY culture and inspired by our purpose.
Chapter 3: Capturing insights and feedback to make better decisions
Transforming ways of working over the long-term
In addition to empowering EY people to pursue meaningful skills and experiences and supporting them to personalize their careers at EY, proactive, authentic and empathetic two-way communication is crucial.
That’s why we use a range of listening tools, including surveys and a single-question “mood tracker” that leverage integrated technology and data, to regularly capture and respond to what EY people are experiencing.
This was particularly important as the COVID-19 crisis developed. Ongoing feedback and conversations during this time meant we could be even more intentional about what EY people needed, whether that was additional training – one of the most popular online courses this year was ‘‘how to run virtual meetings effectively’’ - or additional childcare benefits.
EY peoples’ insights and feedback help create better experiences. They also help teams to collaborate better, support each other more effectively, and foster a greater sense of belonging.
Throughout the year new ways to team and learn were found, and we are looking at how these experiences can inform different, more agile ways of working in the future.
Chapter 4: One million strong – EY alumni
Helping connect EY people past and present
Strong relationships are key to EY – it’s what underpins high-performing teams delivering exceptional service for clients. And EY alumni are amongst the most important relationships we have.
The EY Alumni network is active in over 75 countries and helps connect EY people, past and present, to friends, opportunities, resources and networks.
Today there are EY alumni – more than one million people around the world – in every sector: as entrepreneurs, academics, corporate leaders and working in charitable organizations and government agencies.
We proudly celebrate our alumni relationships and EY ambassadors in many ways – one of which is celebrating EY Alumni Week. Each year we take a moment to recognize our alumni, our extended EY family and the contributions they are making to help us build a better working world.
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Summary
To help create long-term value for people, EY provides the opportunities, training and experiences that our people need – today and tomorrow – to build their own unique careers.
