Ernst & Young fires staff in latest corporate perk abuse case

Following Meta’s purge of employees over food coupons, accounting firm Ernst & Young (EY) has fired employees for taking multiple online courses.

The British multinational accounting company Ernst & Young fired some of its US employees last week over what the company called “cheating.”

An internal investigation revealed that some staff members took more than one online course during its “EY Ignite Learning Week” in May.

The company said the layoffs were a disciplinary measure to punish violations of its global code of conduct and US learning policy.

However, the employees view layoffs as a disproportionate reaction. Some of the fired employees told the Financial Times that they had no idea they were violating anything by signing up for several classes, and were mainly led by curiosity.

Others emphasized that EY “breeds a culture of multitasking.” Some employees work with three monitors or are forced to log 45 hours a week and do extra hours of internal work.

“I know a partner who will do two [client] calls and switch their camera on and off depending on who he is talking to. If this is unethical, then that is unethical, too,” one employee told FT.

EY employs 393,000 people globally.

Meta fires employees that abuse perks

Last week, Meta fired some employees for abusing food coupons. The company provides its staff with $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch, and $25 for dinner. However, some of the employees have been found “pooling the money together” and saving it up to buy items like acne pads, toothpaste, wine glasses, and laundry detergent.

Meta has reportedly fired 24 employees for abusing the food coupon system over an extended period of time.