Ethical Contemplations
and Lake Como
I had a wonderful holiday in Italy. James and I booked an AirBnb on the edge of Lake Como which looked straight onto the lake. It took a full day to travel there - through Milan and then onto Como via trains and buses. We were dropped off by bus at the side of the road and had to stumble for 10 minutes down VERY steep little streets and steps, with me map reading and with the largest suitcase you’ve ever seen (and a smaller one). Luckily by the end of the trip we had worked out we could get a ferry to Como, sans steps, so we didn’t have to drag the suitcases back up the hill.
Anyway, it was stunning. One of the most beautiful places I’ve been to. We spent most days exploring the lake villages by ferry and bus, then cooking at our flat in the evenings and sitting on the balcony over the lake. Dreamy!
Last year, our summer holiday was at the end of June and I’d decided to leave my job just before. I used the time away to get some headspace and confirm if in fact it was the right decision and the right time for me to resign. I resigned on the first day back at work.
Just over one year on, I felt like a different person on this holiday. Much more calm and relaxed, and excited to return to Accountancy Hub to start with our first corporate client. A lot can happen in a year.
The Ethical Accountant
I’ve just finished a project with my old employer and I’m in conversations about two different consultancy projects, which I’d undertake through Independent Economics and our Organisational Culture Practice. One of these projects centres around ethics, which is something I’ve always been enamoured with since I started studying to be a chartered accountant. Ethics forms a substantial part of our training so that we can uphold public trust in our profession, stakeholder trust in the companies we advise or audit, and ultimately prevent wrongdoing across the business world.
Fully qualified accounting chair-people or CEOs account for 40% of FTSE100 company leaders. Therefore, awarding bodies like the ICAEW and ACCA are actually developing future business leaders of some of the largest and most influential organisations, not just developing accountants.
It’s something I think about a lot, especially now that I’m supporting trainees and working so closely with accountancy firms. When you think of ethics and accountancy, fraud might be the first thing that springs to mind. But actually ethics touches AI, data protection, workplace culture including sexual harassment and bullying, racism, confidentiality, behaviour in and outside of the office, and the environment. There isn’t really an area it doesn’t touch in my opinion.
Story Time
When I was at university, I volunteered at the Oxfam charity shop in York City Centre every Wednesday, in my 2nd and 3rd years. It was the highlight of my week: I would cycle in through the Roman walls, stand behind the till most of the day serving customers, and have first dibs on any new donations.
One day I was standing behind the till and I saw a man (tall, in a grey hooded tracksuit and black jacket) put his hand in the glass cabinet where we displayed the slightly more expensive items. He picked up a gold, sparkly clutch bag and carefully tucked it under his arm, inside his jacket.
The man had his back to me, and I saw the whole thing on CCTV. I moved my eyes to him, from the screen, and I saw him wander slowly around, and then as he passed the till I said “Are you going to pay for that handbag?”. I don’t know what I was thinking.
He froze, stared at me, then said “No, I’m not” - he flung the bag on the counter from under his arm and briskly walked out. My heart was RACING.
It was a really busy day in the shop and this couple next to me saw the whole encounter and said well done.
Anyway, this is quite a random story but I quite often think about that golden, sparkly clutch bag. Was he stealing it for his wife’s birthday? Was he going to sell it on Ebay so he could feed his kids? Did he need it for his drag act at the weekend? I’ll never know.
Stealing in general we would probably say is wrong. But if you are poverty stricken, and you know the charity shops don’t have electronic gates at the doors, and no security, it might be a good place to steal from. Ironically, Oxfam uses its funds to fight inequality to end poverty and injustice, but would this man ever see funds from Oxfam? I doubt it.
My point is, the ‘right’ thing to do isn’t always crystal clear. However, in the business world, there are strategies and techniques we can put in place to come to the right ethical business decision. And there are some decisions which are absolutely crystal clear and frankly rely on good moral and ethical judgement.
Home in the North
I’ve been at home this weekend to give my opinion on the house my mum wants to buy (she’s moving down the road to be nearer our village). I love the north. Friday night we went to the local pub for pie, chips and gravy - heavenly.
Today we found the biggest spider I’ve ever seen, in the upstairs hallway. I screamed. Mum ran halfway up the stairs then saw it. There was a minute of shouting back and forth about a glass and some paper before mum said “I’ll get a neighbour!”. She’s in a WhatsApp group with most of the street and I’m not joking, in less than a minute, two men arrived at the door. One of them put a plastic fruit punnet straight over it and calmly walked it downstairs (with no lid on so we kept screaming obviously).
And that was that. Sometimes I wonder if I should be the MD of a company when I can’t deal with a spider.
Next few weeks
Next week I have a very exciting guest on the Human Too Podcast - the author Gill Whitty-Collins who wrote the book “Why Men Win At Work”.
Gill looks beyond the facts and figures on gender inequality and uncovers the invisible, unconscious and unintended barriers… in the workplace. Addressing both men and women, she sets out the psychology of gender diversity from the perspective of her personal experience and shares her powerful insights & workable advice on how to tackle the gender inequality issue.
For someone who struggles to finish a book, I got through this very quickly. I tabbed it up like it was IFRS Standards (if you know you know) and it should make for a very interesting episode.
Sales calls continue. We have the official launch of our Organisational Culture & Performance Practice at the Athenaeum Club in London (looks very posh). Work starts with our top 20 accountancy firm. And we continue to support individuals as and when they need us.
On Monday, I’m devoting some of the day to strategy for Human Too Limited and developing a vision board. Time to get it out of my head and visually onto a page.
Hope you have managed to have some relaxing time off over the summer. Christmas feels around the corner, it’s bonkers.
Speak soon!
Hannah
