Ernst & Young Bets $100 Million on Human Skills With New Employee Bonus Program

EY is dangling bonuses of up to $25,000 for workers who prove their human skills still matter in the age of AI | Fortune

Ernst & Young is betting that it is. The Big Four professional-services giant is planning to spend $100 million to reward U.S. employees who develop "future-focused" human skills, such as business acumen, judgment and adaptability, and experiment with technology to drive innovation and improve client services. Individuals can earn spot awards up to $500, while individuals and teams whose work makes a material difference to the firm can receive cash awards up to $25,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. "How we reward our people defines what we value as a firm. And what we value are confident professionals who continuously push themselves to learn fast and drive a lasting impact," EY Americas Chief Talent and Culture Officer Ginnie Carlier said in a press release. "With these awards, we are empowering our EY professionals to bring a curious mindset to their work, to challenge what is possible and to ultimately shape the future of EY US." EY's move comes as firms are asking employees to become more fluent in AI without losing the distinct human skills that can't easily be automated. For younger workers entering the industry, that balancing act is already becoming a complicated, but central part of preparing for a career. Accounting firms are leaning into human skills -- but Gen Z are worried about overreliance on technology Young workers and employees alike are aware of the need to protect human skills. At fellow accounting firm KPMG, 76% of its latest summer intern cohort said future career success will require both strong human skills and the ability to effectively direct AI. At the same time, 43% worried that overreliance on technology could limit their critical-thinking abilities -- suggesting that young workers are already thinking carefully about which skills they need to protect as AI takes on more of their work. "For early-career professionals who aspire to leadership roles, the ability to evaluate information, apply context, exercise sound judgment and explain the 'why' behind a recommendation will be critical," Derek Thomas, KPMG U.S.'s national partner-in-charge of university talent acquisition, previously told Fortune. "Those are the capabilities that help people earn trust and grow into leadership roles." Margaret Burke, PwC U.S. talent acquisition and development leader, similarly emphasized the importance of human judgment as a key part of standing out in the hiring and promotion process. "This is really a moment for learning agility," Burke told Fortune last year. "AI can do a lot, but it still needs the human skills -- it needs people who can think critically, ask better questions, and apply judgment. If you can be the person who helps your team move forward in the face of change, you're already leading and can differentiate yourself in a tangible way." AI is eating away at entry-level accounting work -- and some young workers are quitting Adapting to AI isn't just about teaching young workers which skills to develop. Accounting firms also have to make sure there are opportunities for those workers to develop them in the first place -- and the industry's shifting talent pipeline is already raising concerns. A recent BambooHR survey found that one-third of new accounting and finance hires quit within their first year, as the role of entry-level workers changes alongside the technology. At the same time, AI is taking over some of the routine tasks that once gave younger employees a chance to learn the business from the ground up. The survey also found a 3-to-1 ratio of senior-level hires to entry-level hires, highlighting how companies are increasingly favoring experienced workers even as they ask younger employees to build the skills needed to succeed in an AI-driven workplace. That makes opportunities to develop human skills even more valuable. As AI takes on more of the tedious work, employers need talent that knows not just how to use the technology, but how to assess its output, design processes around it and determine where human judgment needs to come in. "I'm glad that a generative AI tool has let us generate something that's interesting, but is it right?" BambooHR CFO Justin Judd said. "Is it correct?"

Ernst & Young to award $100 million in bonuses for employees who show people skills

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. Ernst & Young has seen the future, and it involves people doing what AI can't. EY, one of the "Big Four" management consulting firms, said Monday it plans to award $100 million in bonuses to workers who demonstrate human skills, such as leadership, judgment, business acumen, collaboration and an ability to adapt. Although EY said it will also reward "technology adoption," the company emphasized the importance of nurturing human skills for its success. "The pace and complexity of change in our industry require confident leadership," Dante D'Egidio, EY Americas CEO and U.S. managing partner, said in a statement. "This significant investment reinforces our commitment to building the workforce of the future by recognizing the skills and behaviors needed to lead our profession and serve our clients with excellence." The investment in worker compensation is part of the firm's effort to attract talent to drive it in a "tech-led, human-powered world." Economists have warned that artificial intelligence will eliminate some jobs, particularly those that are rote or entry-level, while also creating new opportunities. They also reiterate that the workers most likely to be left behind are those who fail to learn to leverage AI to enhance their productivity.

Ernst & Young Is Paying $100 Million in Bonuses for Skills That AI Can't Replace

As artificial intelligence tools have been rolled out in workplaces around the country -- to varying degrees of success -- there's been a tendency for managers to treat AI usage as an end in and of itself, or at least a core metric worth incentivizing explicitly. This mindset has become so prevalent as to garner a name: "tokenmaxxing." The professional services giant Ernst & Young, however, is taking a different tact. The Wall Street Journal reports that EY's American division has set aside a whopping $100 million for employee awards and incentives related to fostering skills that AI can't replace. (At least not yet.) The bonus program is meant to reward EY staff who demonstrate traits such as "adaptability, innovation and judgment," WSJ reports -- a seeming effort to hone human talent where machine learning can't yet provide as much value add, rather than incentivizing the use of AI itself. Still, it's not a total rebuke of the tokenmaxxing mindset (so named because its proponents advocate for employees maximizing their spend of AI "tokens," a common metric for usage of the software). After all, EY's bonus program will reportedly reward experimentation with AI, too. "Individuals can earn spot awards up to $500, and the professional-services firm will give cash awards of up to $25,000 to people and teams that make a material difference to the firm," WSJ reports. "EY says its aim is to reward the skills and behaviors that matter most to the future of the firm and its clients." Ginnie Carlier, chief talent and culture officer for EY Americas, told the media outlet: "This isn't a problem that can be solved with a training course or a single program; it's going to take a sustainable, radical change." The $100 million in earmarked funds is meant for the current fiscal year, WSJ reports, with no upper limit on how much money a single employee can make through the program, and no limits on who employees can nominate for the bonuses among their colleagues.

Ernst & Young Is Paying Employees $100 Million in Bonuses Just for Being Human

Accounting giant Ernst & Young will be rewarding employees for being good at the stuff AI can't do. The firm's U.S. division is investing $100 million this fiscal year in bonuses for employees who show human skills such as adaptability, judgment and innovation, according to the Wall Street Journal. Employees can get small, one-off bonus payments up to $500, while people and teams who make a major impact can pocket up to $25,000, five times the previous award cap. Anyone at the firm can nominate a colleague, and there's no ceiling on how much someone can ultimately receive. EY isn't the only firm rewarding human attributes. KPMG overhauled its audit internship training this summer to emphasize critical thinking, and PwC rolled out a curriculum built around empathy and creativity alongside AI skills. "This isn't a problem that can be solved with a training course or a single program," says Ginnie Carlier, EY Americas' chief talent and culture officer. "It's going to take a sustainable, radical change." The irony? The AI industry is driving real growth at EY, with AI-related revenue up 30% year-over-year in 2025. The firm just wants to make sure the humans using it still know how to think.

EY Is Giving Employees $100 Million in Bonuses. The Reasoning Says a Lot About the Future of Leadership

Want to know what a company really values? Look at what it rewards. Ernst & Young is doing exactly that. The professional services giant announced that EY US will invest $100 million in employee rewards and bonuses aimed at recognizing people who develop 'human' skills. According to The Wall Street Journal, the initiative places particular emphasis on human capabilities including judgment, adaptability, innovation, and experimentation with AI. Employees can receive smaller spot awards, while individuals and teams producing exceptional results can earn significantly larger awards. The maximum award is rising to $25,000, five times the previous cap, according to the Journal. But the $100 million number isn't the most interesting part of this story. What EY has decided is worth paying for Ginnie Carlier, EY Americas chief talent and culture officer, summed it up perfectly: "How we reward our people defines what we value as a firm." AI is changing what makes people valuable. There's an understandable tendency for companies rushing into AI to focus almost entirely on technical proficiency. Who can use the tools? Who understands the platforms? Who can automate a process faster? But here's the leadership lesson that gets lost in the AI conversation: As technology becomes more capable, the value of good human judgment doesn't disappear. It increases.