THE ACCOUNT
The latest in finance and business
Crash landing
Glassdoor recently conducted a poll to find the most annoying – or “cringe” – workplace expression. There was plenty of stiff competition but the winner proved to be “We’re building the plane as we fly it!” with 36% of the vote.
Not far behind in second place with 33% was “Let’s double click on that”. This prompted several responses asking what on earth it means (or words to that effect). It turns out that this has become a buzz phrase on Wall Street and is another way of saying something should be explored in more detail.
Third, with 31%, was “Let me circle back to you” – a hardy perennial when it comes to annoying language. Other expressions that generated understandable low-level fury among the respondents were “We’re a family”, and anything that includes the word “bandwidth”. (CA’s Sub-Editor would like to register a late vote for “reach out” when it used to mean “get in touch”.)
Crash landing
Glassdoor recently conducted a poll to find the most annoying – or “cringe” – workplace expression. There was plenty of stiff competition but the winner proved to be “We’re building the plane as we fly it!” with 36% of the vote.
Not far behind in second place with 33% was “Let’s double click on that”. This prompted several responses asking what on earth it means (or words to that effect). It turns out that this has become a buzz phrase on Wall Street and is another way of saying something should be explored in more detail.
Third, with 31%, was “Let me circle back to you” – a hardy perennial when it comes to annoying language. Other expressions that generated understandable low-level fury among the respondents were “We’re a family”, and anything that includes the word “bandwidth”. (CA’s Sub-Editor would like to register a late vote for “reach out” when used to mean “get in touch”.)
Can’t get no satisfaction
A new report from recruitment specialists Hays warns of a growing “great dissatisfaction”, with 57% of professionals considering changing jobs next year. Lack of opportunity is a leading cause, with 48% saying there’s little scope for career progression in their current job (that figure rises to 52% in Scotland), a sharp rise on 32% who said the same last year. Fear of leaving a secure role was the leading cause for staying put (cited by 23%), ahead of concerns about the cost of living.
There’s a general sense of gloom, with just 22% of employers saying they feel optimistic about the economy, down on 43% last year. Despite that, 78% say they are looking to hire workers in 2025.
“As we’re already faced with significant skill shortages, now is the time for employers to address workforce dissatisfaction before it’s too late,” said Keith Mason, Director at Hays Scotland. “This is a pivotal moment and a time when transparent career mapping and continuous learning opportunities should become a priority for employers.”
The research is based on a survey of more than 10,600 responses from professionals and employers, including 607 respondents in Scotland.
Can’t get no satisfaction
A new report from recruitment specialists Hays warns of a growing “great dissatisfaction”, with 57% of professionals considering changing jobs next year. Lack of opportunity is a leading cause, with 48% saying there’s little scope for career progression in their current job (that figure rises to 52% in Scotland), a sharp rise on 32% who said the same last year. Fear of leaving a secure role was the leading cause for staying put (cited by 23%), ahead of concerns about the cost of living.
There’s a general sense of gloom, with just 22% of employers saying they feel optimistic about the economy, down on 43% last year. Despite that, 78% say they are looking to hire workers in 2025.
“As we’re already faced with significant skill shortages, now is the time for employers to address workforce dissatisfaction before it’s too late,” said Keith Mason, Director at Hays Scotland. “This is a pivotal moment and a time when transparent career mapping and continuous learning opportunities should become a priority for employers.”
The research is based on a survey of more than 10,600 responses from professionals and employers, including 607 respondents in Scotland.
CAs in the news
Gary Campbell CA
Gary Campbell CA, CEO of the Crofting Commission, which oversees the running of 10% of all land in Scotland, recently unveiled a new initiative to bring vacant crofts back into active use. The aim is to create new opportunities for housing, employment and community development. “Vacant crofts represent a missed opportunity for new entrants to crofting and for economic activity in rural communities,” said Campbell.
Karen McBride CA
Karen McBride CA has been appointed Director at CT, joining its accounts and business advisory division in Glasgow. She was previously Head of Finance and Operations at Social Investment Scotland. CT partner Mairi MacIver said: “Karen is a highly regarded professional with a wealth of experience working in private practice and in-house for a broad range of businesses and organisations.”
Douglas Flint CA
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, the Abrdn Chairman, Douglas Flint CA, said Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the US election was to be welcomed in the sense it meant the result wouldn’t be challenged in the courts, thus removing prolonged uncertainty. He rejected the notion that Trump’s second presidency would spell a return to protectionism: “Those who say globalisation is over are just wrong. Supply chains are integrated, markets are open to all.”
Farmed out
Farming has been in the domestic headlines with the row over Budget changes. The story has also highlighted the margins at which many in agriculture are operating, as well as the amount of land being bought up by the very wealthy as a means to avoid inheritance tax.
In Denmark, on the other hand, plans are afoot to give 10% of the nation’s farmlands back to nature. This is part of a far bigger plan to reduce the emissions from farming that includes subsidies to encourage farmers to use less nitrogen fertiliser as well as a tax on cows to cut methane. There are also new taxes on flights out of the country and a push to increase the usage of sustainable aviation fuel.
It represents part of a bigger plan for the nation to reduce its emissions by 70% come 2030. While other countries have adjusted their 2030 targets, Denmark's political leaders seem determined to meet their goal. One can only wonder what Jeremy Clarkson would make of it all.
Farmed out
Farming has been in the domestic headlines with the row over Budget changes. The story has also highlighted the margins at which many in agriculture are operating, as well as the amount of land being bought up by the very wealthy as a means to avoid inheritance tax.
In Denmark, on the other hand, plans are afoot to give 10% of the nation’s farmlands back to nature. This is part of a far bigger plan to reduce the emissions from farming that includes subsidies to encourage farmers to use less nitrogen fertiliser as well as a tax on cows to cut methane. There are also new taxes on flights out of the country and a push to increase the usage of sustainable aviation fuel.
It represents part of a bigger plan for the nation to reduce its emissions by 70% come 2030. While other countries have adjusted their 2030 targets, Denmark's political leaders seem determined to meet their goal. One can only wonder what Jeremy Clarkson would make of it all.
Hospital pass
If you have ever worked for a big organisation, you will know that decisions don’t get made, and press releases don’t get published, without going through multiple checks and sign-offs.
So one would expect the government to be especially hot on this sort of thing, given whatever ministers do or say comes under the strictest scrutiny. Sometimes, of course, there is only so much anyone can do to manage the message, given that misinformation and outright lies spread at warp speed on social media.
Even so, successive governments have become their own worst enemy, seemingly guilty of coming up with ideas and policies which either suffer from muddled communication or aren’t thought through, even where a wealth of advisers are involved.
For example, when it was announced last year that HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester would be scrapped, the government of the time rushed out a proposal to reinvest that money in improving transport networks across the country. Except that plan included a rail link that already existed, and various other ideas that clearly hadn’t been scoped out or which included costs that were pure guesswork.
The point was picked up by Iain Anderson at ICAS’ recent CA Summit, which you can read more about here. Asked by host Dharshini David about the stream of negativity Labour has received in the wake of the Budget, Anderson put some of it down to a simple failure to explain the money brought in from all those tax hikes will be spent where it’s needed, on schools and hospitals. The bang we are getting for our bucks, if you will.
Anderson, who is co-author of Labour’s “partnership plan” for business, argues that they’ve delivered on what they promised in that report. But that’s clearly not getting through to the public.
Instead, the government resembles a newly promoted football team preparing for relegation. It is banking on the assumption that it will bounce back next season and be stronger for the experience. We’ll see…
Ryan Herman
Hospital pass
If you have ever worked for a big organisation, you will know that decisions don’t get made, and press releases don’t get published, without going through multiple checks and sign-offs.
So one would expect the government to be especially hot on this sort of thing, given whatever ministers do or say comes under the strictest scrutiny. Sometimes, of course, there is only so much anyone can do to manage the message, given that misinformation and outright lies spread at warp speed on social media.
Even so, successive governments have become their own worst enemy, seemingly guilty of coming up with ideas and policies which either suffer from muddled communication or aren’t thought through, even where a wealth of advisers are involved.
For example, when it was announced last year that HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester would be scrapped, the government of the time rushed out a proposal to reinvest that money in improving transport networks across the country. Except that plan included a rail link that already existed, and various other ideas that clearly hadn’t been scoped out or which included costs that were pure guesswork.
The point was picked up by Iain Anderson at ICAS’ recent CA Summit, which you can read more about here. Asked by host Dharshini David about the stream of negativity Labour has received in the wake of the Budget, Anderson put some of it down to a simple failure to explain the money brought in from all those tax hikes will be spent where it’s needed, on schools and hospitals. The bang we are getting for our bucks, if you will.
Anderson, who is co-author of Labour’s “partnership plan” for business, argues that they’ve delivered on what they promised in that report. But that’s clearly not getting through to the public.
Instead, the government resembles a newly promoted football team preparing for relegation. It is banking on the assumption that it will bounce back next season and be stronger for the experience. We’ll see…
Ryan Herman
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