Working-class hero? I see both KPMG and now PwC have set themselves targets for employing more workingclass people. This has to be applauded, but I think it seems so old-fashioned to talk about class in this way. I just don’t think many people identify themselves by class these days. I also feel there could be unintended consequences of the move of Big 4 firms recruiting the brightest working-class kids, who might have trained to be a mechanic or plumber, and could ultimately still be earning £60,000 a year. I also saw tucked away near the back of the issue the story about working-class men being kicked off company boards to make
way for middle-class women. The accountancy watchdog said this was another unintended consequence of the race for allencompassing diversity. As a boy from a council estate, I had parents who worked in the so-called routine and manual
jobs. So, I think that makes me workingclass. But I always wanted to be an accountant and left school and took up an apprenticeship studying towards the AAT qualification. I am now studying ACCA, but still don’t earn as much as my dad, but we are both doing jobs we love! He has an old-fashioned trade that has kept him employed all his life. He also says we need more bricklayers, electricians and plumbers and less accountants, and I think he might be right! Name and email address supplied
Our star letter writer wins a fantastic ‘I love PQ’ mug! Sharing won’t work
I see the Big 4 have finally said that sharing audits with smaller firms ‘won’t work’ (see PQ October, page 9). While a key part of the proposals for audit reform I could never see the logic in this idea. In fact, I can see this as being a major problem moving forward. When an audit goes wrong in the future, and they will, it will be even harder to tell where the blame lies. The inexperienced smaller firm will be vulnerable to accusations that they were just “never up to it”, and a big failure could scupper the move before it has even had a chance to show its effectiveness. Costs will also increase at the time when many firms are still struggling to recover from the pandemic. The creation of a separate profession has to be the way forward, one that won’t be trying to sell its tax and consulting services to the same client. Name and email address supplied
Money talks
Well done TaxWatch for calling out the tech companies, yet again. No one is surprised about their failure to get VAT paid in Africa. I know someone who has just started working for Shell as a graduate
who lies about who she works for. They are paid nigh on £50,000 a year (in their first year), but have to avoid all talk of work socially, as they learnt very quickly it puts them on the wrong side of many discussions. Working for one of the
tech giants must be even worse. I think the only way they too can attract graduates is with huge pay packets, but by taking the money many graduates know they will be selling just a little bit of their soul. Name and email address supplied
We have a green issue for you this month. While we were putting it together AAT announced that it was moving its HQ out of central London to east London. Its new offices have an ‘excellent’ rating under BREEAM, ranking it in the top 10% of new non-domestic buildings in the UK on measures including energy, waste, health and wellbeing, pollution, materials and land use. AAT is also picking up on the preference of staff to have a more hybrid model of working, cutting its square footage in half. On LinkedIn Graham Divers said: “Well done AAT. A sensible, business focused initiative with work/life balance and climate change at the core. To be encouraged.” Helen Long pointed out: “No doubt many companies will be downsizing – my employer has already moved to hot desking and home working, or part home working. “But now it is looking like more will be home based with real choices being offered.” It will be interesting to see what the other accountancy bodies do. Will any of them be brave enough to move their headquarters out of London? We’ll have to wait to see. People use social media for lots of things, even deciding the name of their firm. Lee Moore recently went online to do just that. He said: “Hi, I am starting my accountancy practice on 1st October but need to decide upon a trading name. Lemur is the word I wish to incorporate in the name but I am not sure which of the below looks and feels the best for an accounting firm. Please can you vote which you think is best. Lemur 7 Accounting. Lemur Accountancy. Lemur Solutions. None of the above.” Last time we looked Lemur Accountancy was winning. Hey, we voted for it!
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