9. EY
EY is the highest-ranked newcomer to this year's Best Firms to Work For list as it makes its debut at No. 9. Ask Robert Patton, Vice Chair of Advisory Services for EY, what sets the firm apart and he'll answer without hesitation: "No question, it's our culture."
Patton says: "We hear it from new and experienced hires, and from those that come back to EY. It feels different from other organizations and difficult to describe. Part of it is that we bring together the right mix of people who share the same vision while focusing on quality and results," he says. " When you have a shared vision and operate under the same purpose, the firm as a whole succeeds while also helping employees to achieve their personal and professional goals."
And it marks the firm as one of the profession's elite. Patton says EY is extremely proud to be recognized as a Best Firm to Work For. "It's especially meaningful because it's based on the responses of people in Advisory," he says.
More than year ago, the firm launched a new brand identify, including our purpose of "Building a Better Working World." External accolades reinforce the pride people have in the work they do to help clients and deliver on our brand promise, Patton says.
EY has invested heavily in three key elements of its culture: inclusiveness, development and engagement. Training, experiential learning, collaboration and a dedication to serving the community are also elements of it, he says. As a result, the firm is ranked among the Top 10 firms in five of the six categories the survey measures, with Work/Life Balance being the only outlier. Leadership, Career Development and Culture were its three highest categories.
"The exceptional EY experience means a strong foundation: learning, coaching and meaningful career conversations, as well as transformative professional experiences that help them grow, develop and lead, in business and in life," Patton says.
While a number of programs contribute to this goal, Patton points to the Culture Recognition Program, which includes a "culture coin" given to employees for living the firm's values. And the real power of the program is in "paying it forward," Patton says. "The program has been extremely empowering," he says.
Another empowering aspect of the firm is its exceptional financial performance. EY achieved double-digit growth for the fifth consecutive year; completed nine acquisitions, grew headcount by 10 percent and promoted more than 1,000 employees. "This type of growth is infectious," Patton says. "Our people feel it and so do the clients, making for high performing engagements and trusting relationships."
That growth has translated to differentiated experiences for employees. And, it starts by building the highest performing teams, recruiting the best people and investing in their development through training and experiential learning, he says. "When people come to EY they see that they can be part of something big."
What's your top priority the next 12 months?
Robert Patton, Americas Vice Chair of Advisory Services, says: "One example is our work to support clients in the new digital world. This includes six of the biggest challenges affecting clients today: Analytics, Cybersecurity, Innovation, Risk, Strategy and Technology. In 2014 we put the building blocks in place to ensure we leverage the full power of EY for each of these issues. An example of which was the launch of the EY Global Analytics Center of Excellence, which is a $500 million, multiyear investment that will deliver transformational change to clients."
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