At Ernst & Young, the people really buy into the tag line of "Quality in everything we do."
Pros
In my years of client service, as well as for a few years outside the firm, it became extremely clear to me that this is a different place to work. The focus on doing the right things right, and putting quality into everything we do seems to permeate the company. There is a respect for each other that is palpable. Although things don't always go as planned, there are the typical frustrations, and there are some people in the firm I'd rather not work with, I still find that each day is challenging and rewarding. EY seems to value the contributions that each employee brings to the equation - and that's quite nice.
Cons
It's a BIG company - and with that comes a bit of "process" and "protocol" that needs to be followed. This can be a bit frustrating, but I take it as a small price to pay for the benefits of working for a world leader in professional services. Having its roots in an audit practice, where, in terms of promotion and professional advancement, it was an "up or out" mentality, I still find there is a bit of that philosophy in other departments where it may not make as much sense. Some senior management are still struggling with what to do with long time (15+ years) employees who don't want to be partners.