On the money with Gavin Hinks
Email carefully, your career could be on the line
Sometimes an accountant feels there is no choice but to leave his employer in
a spectacular huff, leaving no doubts that the end of his tenure was well
overdue. Such was the case with one former PwC minion, whose parting missive was
leaked last week. In a rather charming, old-school way, someone kindly sent it
to Accountancy Age through the post.
He muses on his time with PwC, having had to part company with the Big Four
firm because he failed an exam.
He writes: “I look forward immensely to never having to attend an event in
which our beloved leaders stand up to tell us we’ve massively exceeded budget,
so in reward we get no bonuses and instead we get the treat of listening to
Coldplay while quotes from the greatest leaders of our times are played across a
screen. Dare we be different? Not really. What we dare to do is stick out three
years until we get the ACA and we can leave.”
The smoke from bridges being burned so close to Embankment Place could be
seen right across London.
The email has been widely circulated on the internet but while we can all be
entertained by someone venting his anger you’ve got to wonder how wise it is to
let such resentment go so public. As parting shots go it is pretty spectacular
and may bring some embarrassment to the firm. But the speed with which such a
letter can be spread on the internet means the greater risk is for the departing
employee. What would have been an amusing message among friends becomes a
liability when distributed so widely.
The internet has done this to others who lose control of their emails and
will continue to do so. I hope the minion is not overly damaged by his email
becoming quite so well read. But I suspect his skills and temperament are better
suited to the creative industries than they ever were to accountancy.
Sounds like his exam failure might be a blessing in disguise.
Gavin Hinks is editor of Accountancy Age