Taking Stock: Oh, the shame of it, accountants
Accountants need to stop mumbling into their chests when asked what they do for a living
TAKING STOCK IS A HACK, and no bones about it. You are what you are after all’s said and done. If only the same could be said about the profession.
For if the latest research from specialist recruiter Randstad Financial & Professional is to be believed, accountants feel somewhat embarrassed about their chosen careers.
The survey of over 2,000 British workers found that – barring those that have Sisyphean task of working on the UK’s expensive and oft-delayed rail network – are the most ashamed people in the country about what they do for a living.
While a staggering 90% of insurance professionals are proud of their chosen line of work – only a paltry 44% of accountants are proud of what they do for a living.
Ok, auditors have been under the cosh for their chummy relationships with their clients and a collective failure – along with regulators, politicians and rating agencies – to spot the impending catastrophic financial black holes lurking on the balance sheets of Britain’s biggest banks.
And don’t forget the one-woman crusade by Margaret Hodge – scourge of tax avoiders across the land – to defend the morals of the land. Nevertheless, accountants by and large do a lot of good for businesses in the UK and are engaged in many altruistic activities.
When brass-necked bankers have more pride in what they do then accountants, something has surely gone awry. It is left for TS to tell the profession it does a good job. So please, no more mumbles apologies and red faces.