Ernst & Young is a global giant in the accounting game, but it appears that they’re only now being held to account for an environment that has been woefully out of step with the times.

You may recall our story from August, where Karen Ward, a former partner at the company, detailed a number of examples of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Ward alleges she was told by her supervisor that she was “really hot,” that he loved her “great big round boobs,” and that she had a “nice ass”.

She wasn’t alone on that front, as another former partner, Jessica Casucci, also filed similar complaints.

So what’s the deal with the latest exposé on the firm’s operations? Over to the Huffington Post for some of what was covered in a 55-page presentation, used during a day-and-a-half seminar on leadership and empowerment in June of last year:

When women speak, they shouldn’t be shrill. Clothing must flatter, but short skirts are a no-no. After all, “sexuality scrambles the mind.” Women should look healthy and fit, with a “good haircut” and “manicured nails.”

These were just a few pieces of advice that around 30 female executives at Ernst & Young received at a training seminar held in the accounting giant’s gleaming new office in Hoboken, New Jersey, in June 2018.

Bear in mind that June 2018 was at the height of the #MeToo movement (not that the noise will, or should, die down) when sexual allegations against many prominent names in the entertainment industry dominated the news.

Still, they persisted:

Women’s brains absorb information like pancakes soak up syrup so it’s hard for them to focus, the attendees were told. Men’s brains are more like waffles. They’re better able to focus because the information collects in each little waffle square.

Ernst & Young has denied that the seminar was as bad as reports suggest, but has also canned that version of the training course.

A woman using the pseudonym ‘Jane’ dished more on the presentation:

A long list of “Invisible Rules” for men and women on Page 13 paints a bleak portrait of contrasting communication styles. It says that women often “speak briefly” and “often ramble and miss the point” in meetings. By comparison, a man will “speak at length ― because he really believes in his idea.” Women don’t interrupt effectively like men. Women “wait their turn (that never comes) and raise their hands.”

…Before the workshop, women were also given a “Masculine/Feminine Score Sheet,” which had them rate their adherence to stereotypical masculine and feminine characteristics both on the job and outside the office.

The so-called masculine traits included “Acts as a Leader,” “Aggressive,” “Ambitious,” “Analytical,” “Has Leadership Abilities,” “Strong Personality” and “Willing to Take a Stand.”

The so-called feminine traits included “Affectionate,” “Cheerful,” “Childlike,” “Compassionate,” “Gullible,” “Loves Children” and “Yielding.” None of the feminine traits involved leadership ― ostensibly a focus of the training.

Essentially, the messaging from the seminar was that women will end up being penalised for displaying more ‘masculine’ traits, and those who wish to be successful within the business should bear that in mind.

Clearly, there is something rotten inside the company that rakes in around $36 billion in global revenue and has 270 000 employees.

You can read more about the seminar, and why that training was so off the mark, on Huff Post.

[source:huffpost]