Kpmg

Friday

Cockburn

What’s preventing a repeat of the Senate twink scandal?

From our US edition

Gay-PMG Grüezi from Switzerland, friends. A Cockburn spy was recently hoping to enjoy a quiet lunch at an Irish pub in Zurich’s Old Town when he was sat next to a large group of somewhat intoxicated KPMG Switzerland employees. It was quite the liquid lunch, with beers and wine flowing for hours and one staffer suggesting a round of shots, a move that was quickly rejected from the already too-far-gone group. One American employee of the firm was waxing lyrical about KPMG’s alleged hopelessly bigoted management.

twink

Sunday

Sam Ashworth-Hayes

Why unconscious bias training doesn’t work

It’s hard not to feel a bit sorry for Bill Michael, who recently resigned as UK boss of KPMG. While he could have softened the blow, there’s little to find disagreement with in his words:  'After every single unconscious bias training that’s ever been done nothing’s ever improved. So unless you care, you actually won’t change.' Fighting bias is big business. Over the last three years, diversity and inclusion professionals have enjoyed a surge in demand for their services. In the United States alone, organisations now spend billions of dollars a year on diversity programmes. And it's a practice which is rapidly making its way across the Atlantic.

Friday

Matthew Lynn

KPMG’s boss was right to tell staff to stop moaning

You have to navigate the tricky etiquette of what to wear for Zoom meetings. That little black box in the corner has to be rebooted from time to time when the wi-fi goes wonky. You have to make your own sandwiches instead of popping out to Pret. And there is a severe risk of hand strain if you don’t have the right kind of ergonomic equipment while perched on the laptop in the kitchen.  There have, of course, been some challenges for the white collar classes as they make their way through lockdown. But, you know, all things considered, it is just possible that it hasn’t been that bad. The trouble is, it seems you can’t say that in public anymore – and if you do, like Bill Michael at KPMG, it will cost you your career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?