Millennials are shifting their power in the workplace. From women’s rights to calls for tougher action on climate change, younger workers are pushing for speed.
Last week the head of KPMG resigned amid complaints from staff about his behavior at an online meeting.
The chairman of the UK accountancy firm Bill Michael, who has been head of the firm since 2017, told employees to “stop complaining” at a landmark meeting about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic . He also called it an uninformed bias, which many businesses have tried to address through changes to their training and recruitment practices, “total and complete crap”.
Michael apologized for his comments, but KPMG hired law firm City Linklaters to conduct an independent investigation. Before he could report, the 52-year-old Australian stopped the business.
There are plenty of leaders who think of their youngest employees as avalanches, or somehow weak-willed when it comes to their well-being or mental health issues.
Michael said at another point in his presentation that too many workers saw themselves as victims, which he said was not true unless they were ill. “Take control of your life and don’t sit there and complain about it,” he said.
In the last few years KPMG has signed up to a live wage industry, which means that it not only pays employees a higher rate than the minimum wage. but also forcing its suppliers and contractors to pay a living wage.
He regularly features in lists of the best companies to work for, and brag about their flexible job schemes. So it is possible that Michael was held at a higher level than many other leaders.
However, that is the physical world of today, and that is as it should be.
Boardrooms are becoming aware of how their employees are feeling, and noticing. They also address the need to go further and think about the communities in which they operate, and about a word that fell out of favor 15 years ago but is coming back – stakeholders.
Even from a senior, profit-based stance, happier employees tend to be more creative and work harder.
Some of the largest companies in the U.S. have been struggling to make the transition. Google has consistently complained against its employees about boardroom policies that are deemed inconsistent with the company’s purpose and vision.
In 2019 employees held a series of unique tours from offices around the world to complain about the company’s handling of women.
Staff reported allegations of sexual misconduct; they also wanted guidance to encourage staff to accept the judgment of an internal settlement system.
Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said employees had a right to take action. However, his condolences did not stop hundreds of employees at the internet giant’s Silicon Valley headquarters from becoming so tired that they formed a union last month – the Workers’ Union of Alphabet, which also represents other companies owned by the Google parent group.
The B Corp movement, a trust that assesses company secrets and how well it has matched astronomy with industry, attracts the majority of membership on both sides of the Atlantic. from smaller businesses.
These are usually new businesses that claim to have a reason in addition to making a profit, whether to reverse climate change or reduce poverty in their local community. They are not charities, but the ultimate goal of many is to sell out to employees, following a model similar to the John Lewis Partnership.
French yogurt maker Danone and the Defender the owner of GMG is among the signatories. Unilever is following the same theme, piloting a four-day week as a way to support employees. These are the companies that embrace movement with the times. KPMG has indicated that it also wants to stay on the course.