Balancing Productivity and Professional Development: EY Dismissals Highlight Strain on Culture of Continuous Learning

Ernst and Young (EY) recently dismissed several employees for attending multiple online training courses simultaneously, allegedly to meet their CPD requirements more quickly. EY stated that the employees violated both its US learning policies and global code of conduct focused on integrity and ethics. However, the incident has highlighted broader issues around workplace pressures and corporate support for professional growth.

In particular, the dismissals have sparked debate surrounding whether workload demands in firms like EY leave employees overextended and pressured to meet CPD obligations. With pressure high, employees may feel forced to prioritise productivity over meaningful engagement with CPD.

The dismissed employees argued that the punishment was disproportionate, and that ‘multitasking’ was necessary to meet L&D requirements alongside daily workloads. It was also implied that EY’s organizational culture contributed to the issue; one employee remarked that EY "breeds a culture of multitasking", adding “[i]f you are forced to bill 45 hours a week and do many more hours of internal work, how could it not?”.

This raises the question: Were the dismissals the result of overworked, stressed employees resorting to ‘multitasking’ to meet CPD requirements? Did the firm’s culture itself contribute to CPD being viewed merely as a regulatory checkbox exercise, undermining the ethical code of conduct which supposedly underpins learning and development?

Such questions are relevant to the UK financial services sector, where FCA regulation, as transposed from the IDD, requires those involved in selling or distributing insurance to complete 15 hours of CPD annually- 35 hours if CII certified.

Following this incident, UK firms may wish to consider how the challenge of stress, balancing learning alongside heavy workloads and the pressure to meet both regulatory requirements and performance targets, may impair learning and an employee’s openness to invest in their development and undermine the ethical worth of CPD.

A 2023 survey by the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter found UK brokers are increasingly overworked, with 46% reporting working between 45/60 hours a week (up 42% from 2022) and 12% maintaining that they work more than 60 hours weekly. Moreover, 75% of brokers cited heavy workloads as the biggest contributor to stress levels, whilst 67% cited the level of regulation.

As CPD is a regulatory requirement that must be met alongside a broker’s daily workload, it is easy to see how an employee could be tempted to take a shortcut to complete learning to tick a regulatory box, lacking the time, motivation or capacity to engage meaningfully or genuinely develop professionally.

Whilst the EY case illustrates that ‘cheating’ at CPD can be a sackable offence, linked to standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism, the dismissals indicate a cultural issue within the financial services sector. Firms should consider whether/how they support employees to engage meaningfully with CPD. If not, not only could professional development be stunted, but firms could face negative reputational repercussions, such as increased consumer harm, or lower standards of conduct and accountability.

As such, firms should reflect on their management of training, compliance and culture, supporting employees in their professional development, ensuring that they can balance it with the pressures of modern work, and lead from the top in engaging with CPD. This will enable CPD to serve its purpose: to nurture competence, skills, and encourage ethics and integrity within the financial services sector.

Tips for firms to support employee Learning and Development:

Set up a L&D plan early on: Setting up a L&D plan early in the CPD year can ensure employees have chance to plan the management of their professional development alongside their daily workload and that they can set aside time to engage meaningfully. This also avoids a rush towards the end of the CPD year which can exacerbate existing workplace pressures.

Provide different forms of learning: Including bitesize learning within a learning plan can help to make learning and development digestible and easier to complete alongside daily work. Recorded seminars can also help to boost employee engagement and add variety to learning. E-learning platform, the Development Zone, offers a variety of course forms and styles which cater to a wide range of users, roles and knowledge levels, along with recordings of UKGI Live sessions run by experts in regulatory compliance. 

Lead from the top: Senior managers and team members should lead by example when it comes to completing CPD, ensuring that it is completed in good time and its worth is recognised, helping to embed a culture of accountability and continuous learning throughout their teams and the firm.

Ensure content is relevant to roles: Whilst CPD must aid staff in gaining the minimum necessary knowledge of 8 core competencies (as set out by the IDD, transposed into FCA regulation), team leaders should also ensure that learning content is matched to the learning needs and goals of employees to enable meaningful professional development and engagement. Content which aligns with firm values and objectives should also be provided, to ensure that CPD can support and compliment the overall culture of the firm. The Development Zone course catalogue hosts a vast range of content, all of which is kept up to date to ensure maximum relevance and value for learners.

Get in touch

The team at The Development Zone regularly aids firms and Senior Managers in building learning plans which cover all key competencies, focus on building key skills and knowledge areas and align with firm objectives. Get in touch for further help and assistance at devzone@ukgigroup.com

About the author

Rebecca recently joined us in 2024 as a Senior Content Writer and has experience researching and creating multimedia content. With a keen interest in current and emerging industry affairs, Rebecca responds through a critical lens and, by promoting thought and discussion, aims to increase awareness of UKGI’s work.

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