“Like oxygen, audit quality may not be fully appreciated when it is present, but I […]
Tag: The beatings will continue until morale improves
Exposure of PwC Email Scandal Really Put a Damper on Irish Accountants’ Spirits
We kid, we kid. The lid being blown off PwC Email Hottiegate probably has a few people down in the dumps but it’s more likely that Ireland’s Greece impersonation is what has the country’s accountants wallowing in their sorrows.
Irish accountants are more pessimistic than their international counterparts about the future of the economy, according to a new global survey.
Only about a quarter of Irish accountants, surveyed by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), believed the global economy was in, or close to, recovery and more than half believed it would remain stagnant for some time yet.
This is much more pessimistic than the global view where less than half believed that conditions were stagnating or deteriorating. With regards to business confidence, Irish respondents continued to report falling confidence, but only marginally so, with 32 per cent reporting a loss of confidence and 27 per cent reporting gains.
Irish accountants more pessimistic than their peers [The Post]
Higher-ups at Deloitte Aren’t Sure Why Employees Are Still in ‘Shock Mode’ From the Last Few Years
All the good times at the Deloitte – Jim Quigley on the teevee, surprise raises, leaving PwC in the dust – hasn’t gotten green-dot morale to acceptable levels.
Accordingly, some of the senior partners in the advisory practice have taken it upon themselves to remind everyone how things are turning around.
From a green-dot familiar with the situation:
There has been an up-tick in senior partner communication recently – mostly in the form of mass e-mail communications, published “Your Questions Answered” videos and in-person “Straight-Talk” sessions – seeming aimed at reassuring the masses that Deloitte’s on its way to the promised land. The message is pretty clear that we’ve survived the recession, are hiring like crazy, are bringing in new business at a solid clip and that we’re spanking our competition (i.e., need to look into the rear-view mirror to find PwC and gang).
This, of course, is in contrast to what we in the trenches feel; that our compensation isn’t mirroring our level of output, that we can’t staff engagements because we don’t have enough resources and that all of our friends are leaving for our competitors. This disparity is acknowledged by the partnership; and at least at one straight talk session, we were told that they can’t figure out why we don’t see the light. It was then proposed that we’re still in “shock mode” because of the last few years; but this observer thinks it’s more that we’re working so hard to produce results for the partners that we can’t see the light because the only free time we have is the few hours of twilight that exists each day – and that’s for sleeping (or other creative stress reducing activities ).
Btw, not sure what you’re hearing; but in my group-region alone, I know of 8 people who have left in the last month (the group-region is about 120 people).
Okay then – so it boils down to either being in “shock mode” or your terrible attitude. Share your position on the matter and what camp you fall into below.
How Dissatisfied Are Accountants? An Unscientific Poll
On Tuesday we shared with you an article from Crain’s that quoted executive recruiter (and maybe former astronaut?) Buzz Patterson, “I’d say the dissatisfaction index would probably be at a 10-year high, in the high 60s or low 70s,” with respect to the accounting profession.
If this statement is even remotely true, this means those of you just getting your chops are seeing the worst morale in a decade. We’re talking pretty flippin’ epic misery here. For those of you that have been around for years (or even a decade or more) is this really the worst time you remember? If you’re a veteran of the biz, share your perspective in the comments below.
Also, to get things rolling on this second-to-last Thursday of October, we thought it might be interesting to gauge the crowd here at GC. After the jump, pull the lever for your level of satisfaction with your job. Use these explanations as a guide: 5 – “Hand me a cigarette”; 3 – “Take it or leave it”; 1 – “About to go postal.”
Big 4 Firms Are Planning for Your Exodus
For some time now, Caleb has been touching on the upcoming/ongoing/always-occurring exodus from Big 4 into the private sector. The obvious reasons for the change from public to private are obvious, but here’s a few for kicks:
• Bigger pay day (and potential growth)
• CPA requirements completed
• Actual work/life balance
& ill set transition to a new career
There are other reasons of course, but it is the ferocious combination of these that leads to the breaking point – low morale.
Going Concern received an email from a distraught and burnt out Big 4 auditor from the Southeast region:
The level of morale in the [XYZ] office is at an all time low. Discussion with low level staff, through managers, have yielded the same opinion of overwhelming expectations without the needed support from the firm. They want us to draw blood from a turnip, and they want it done better, faster, and with less resources than last year. This has caused everyone to start exploring options in the market. A vast majority have started fielding resumes and contacting recruiting firms. The select few who have made it past that hurdle are interviewing with no looking back.
Not to downplay what this auditor is saying (and I’m not), but this sounds like the unfortunate reality of many auditors working on smaller, non-public clients. You know, the not-as-sexy-as-ABC Bank but just as important to the firm’s bottom line. You won’t get tickets to the pro sport’s game, but thankyouverymuch for your efforts.
The reader goes on:
Primarily, people have expressed their interest in holding out any real intentions of leaving until promotions roll around in the later part of the summer. They’re hoping that maybe there will be some juicy 20% raise waiting for them, but the stark reality of a measly 5% raise is what they know is coming. Any fifth year Seniors who are waiting for the promotion to manager are just using it for resume purposes.
Our offices are already using under qualified second year staff at the Senior level, as well as retaining new managers in the Senior position because they are extremely understaffed at that level. This, in turn, is causing all of those people to take measures to leave perhaps after busy season and certainly after the insulting promotions come through in August.
It’s a matter of time before this individual (and half of their respective office) becomes another statistic that the Big 4 HR guru’s term “natural attrition.” From an HR perspective, here’s a loose idea of the attrition formula:
Fall 2010: 100 new hires
Fall ’11: 95 new hires become “2nd years”
Summer/Fall ’12: 88 2nd years promoted to senior staff, 70 seniors remain
Summer/Fall ’12: 2 years of public experience reached, 55 seniors remain
Summer/Fall ’13: 45 seniors remain
Summer/Fall ’14: 35 seniors remain
Summer/Fall ’15: 25 seniors remain; 15 promoted to manager, 10 remain on as seniors
Summer/Fall ‘XX: 10 senior managers are eligible for partner
The recession stunted this formula for every firm, as they were forced to make cuts, not only for cost cutting purposes, but also to keep their staffing formulas close to being in-check. But think about it – your firm expects this kind of turnover. They know it’s a matter of time before their hiring class is whittled down to 10% of its original size.
And in the case of the reader, their firm dropped the analytic ball 3-5 years ago. Had they better estimated the percentage of projected losses, there would be more seniors to handle the work.
Remember that time you felt bad about leaving? They’re waiting for you to do so.