London, October 23: Ernst & Young, also briefly termed EY, a British multinational accounting company, recently laid off employees for misconduct in professional training. Last week, the company fired staff members in the United States who were not "cheating" during training. Many employees of this UK-based firm were asked to take an online course called "EY Ignite Learning Week", and after probing, the company took disciplinary action against certain employees.
Hindustan Times reported that the British multinational accounting firm Ernst & Young fired employees in response to infractions of its US learning policy and the global code of conduct. The report said that the company first highlighted its core values of integrity and ethics and took disciplinary steps towards the people who were cheating during professional training. Tech Layoffs in October 2024: Meta, Nokia, Intel, Kaspersky and Others Announce Layoffs of Hundreds of Employees This Month Amid Restructuring and Cost Saving.
The company said that the decision only affected a few employees who were found to be violating the global code of conduct and learning policy of the United States. The report said the staff saw the Ernst & Young layoffs as "excessive" in response to the situation. When asked, the fired individuals responded to the Financial Times that they were merely motivated by curiosity and had no intention of breaking any laws. Meta Layoffs: Social Media Giant Lays Off Employees From WhatsApp and Instagram Teams and More Amid Restructuring Efforts.
The workers said they had enrolled in multiple seminars and were expected to finish learning tasks with integrity. Ernst & Young employees were supposed to attend all the content and class interactions, as mentioned in an email by the company. EY Ignite Learning Week was a two-day training program of sessions conducted in August 2024. It aimed to focus on the markets and generative AI. The email mentioned that the employees should not take any other training while completing the activity.
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