A terrible place to work, with a competitive salary
Pros
The salary, which is well above the average in Poland. And some of the co-workers at one's own level, and in other teams.
Cons
While EY promotes an image of inclusivity and global collaboration, the day-to-day reality falls short of such an image. The work environment is heavily centered around pleasing senior leadership —predominantly composed of individuals from the U.S. and the U.K.—while the bulk of work and deliverables is conducted by teams in other lower-income countries. The organizational culture is toxic. Constructive feedback or flagging structural issues is frequently met with hostility by leadership and HR, especially when such problems originate from decisions made by Partners or Executive Leadership. Junior and mid-level employees are often held responsible for resolving these problems, without support or accountability for issues created by the top levels. As in many corporations, HR primarily serves to protect the interests of the organization rather than the individual employee. I personally witnessed at least two instances of workplace bullying and harassment, in which affected colleagues were advised by the so-called “Ethics Line” to refrain from taking any action. Internal criticism is not just not welcomed, but is often actively suppressed. If you express dissent, you will be in line for being put on PIP or dismissed. I was yelled at by my British manager, and my concerns dismissed by my so-called Indian "Counsellor". Work-life balance is virtually nonexistent. Employees are regularly asked to complete last-minute tasks with unrealistic turnaround times. One particularly terrible example involved me receiving a major project request at 4:00 PM local time, with the expectation of delivery by the following morning. I had to work through the night until 5:00 AM, went home briefly to shower and rest, and returned to the office by 9:00 AM, to deliver it to a "leader" in the U.K., by the time she started her working hours. Even worse is to consider that the only ability of such a "leader" was attending online meetings. There is also a notable disconnect between regional leadership. Leadership based in India frequently agrees to excessive workloads, while teams in Poland and other locations express serious concerns about feasibility and burnout. Lastly, the company’s insistence on in-office presence at least three days a week feels arbitrary. Most collaborative work is still conducted via Microsoft Teams with colleagues working in other countries, rendering presence at the office completely unnecessary yet mandatory (and considered as part of productivity).