Matthew Lynn Matthew Lynn

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

(Getty images)

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.

Bosses need to be able to tell their staff to grow up, stop complaining and knuckle down

The chairman of the UK arm of the accounting and consulting giant caused a stir this week. Addressing a virtual meeting, he told 500 of the firm’s staff that they should ‘stop moaning’ about the impact of the pandemic on their lives after they raised concerns about potential bonus and pay cuts. 

Warming to his theme, he suggested they should stop ‘playing the victim card’ when complaining about their lot. And, as if he wasn’t in a deep enough hole already, he then decided to keep on digging. For good measure, he said that ‘unconscious bias’ training was ‘complete and utter crap’. 

It was all far too much for the snowflakes that no doubt make up a good proportion of the staff. His comments were promptly leaked to the Financial Times. Michael survived the predictable social media storm for a couple of days, but this morning he threw in the towel, and resigned from his post, apologising profusely for any hurt he had caused.

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