Accountant's brought to bookover raunchy e-mails

[Tony Baloney]

Lets get one thing straight, this issue has nothing to do with political correctness. It is about respect for individuals and their right to work free from bullying and harrassment. It underlines the poor quality of training in some firms, particularly when people like Tony Baloney claim they have been trained up to the Eye-Balls in Industrial Relations, equal rights etc. yet is still not able to understand the basic issue involved here.

Did some nasty man say mean things to you at work pet lamb? Did you run off and report him to HR like a good boy?

I fully understand the issue but I also understand that it is a storm in a teacup and nothing would have happened if it was kept in-house.

[INDIANA]

This has received global media coverage and PWC are a global firm. These lads are toast within PWC, not a hope of say the Seattle office taking them on because it's only a matter of time before local media pick it up.

Well they are all currently suspended. Daily Mail has pics of the 3 lads on the front page. My read of it would tally with yours.

[Pangurban]

Tony you are unbelievable, the government should employ you to defend their handling of the economy as you are so much in denial of reason you see black as white. How the Hell could it be kept in-house when it was in free circulation outside of the company via E.Mails, and ended up on the Internet. If you wish to respond further, at least engage your Brain before your Keyboard. Perhaps you would inform us as to why you are defending the indefensible, as you clearly must know it to be wrong

[pintsofguinness]

Lets get one thing straight, this issue has nothing to do with political correctness. It is about respect for individuals and their right to work free from bullying and harrassment. It underlines the poor quality of training in some firms, particularly when people like Tony Baloney claim they have been trained up to the Eye-Balls in Industrial Relations, equal rights etc. yet is still not able to understand the basic issue involved here.

Did some nasty man say mean things to you at work pet lamb? Did you run off and report him to HR like a good boy?

I fully understand the issue but I also understand that it is a storm in a teacup and nothing would have happened if it was kept in-house.

Maybe not but the only reason nothing would happen is if they covered it up.

Some of the responses here wouldn't be out of place among some of the more neanderthal workplace politics seen in Mad Men! Sure, lads (and ladies) chat away every day and rate members of the opposite sex. What isn't normal is doing it in a manner that causes the discussion to expand exponentially by email outside of the original group, leaving the girls in question subject to very public humiliation and the company vulnerable for the manner in which the humiliation occurred. These idiots should be sacked. They would be in the comapny I work for in the states, and I seriously doubt if PWC's HR programmes don't contain some similar rules and consequences. And its very easy to say its all harmless fun when you're not the object of this unsolicited attention and humiliation.

Good Post. I don't watch Mad Men so I'd have to say some of the responses wouldn't be out of place in the 1950s. "young guys being young guys" is a favourite 

[Maguire01]

Lets get one thing straight, this issue has nothing to do with political correctness. It is about respect for individuals and their right to work free from bullying and harrassment. It underlines the poor quality of training in some firms, particularly when people like Tony Baloney claim they have been trained up to the Eye-Balls in Industrial Relations, equal rights etc. yet is still not able to understand the basic issue involved here.

Did some nasty man say mean things to you at work pet lamb? Did you run off and report him to HR like a good boy?

I fully understand the issue but I also understand that it is a storm in a teacup and nothing would have happened if it was kept in-house.

Not true. I've worked for one of the 'big 4' in the past and they're not going going to let something like this go, whether it gets into the papers or not.

[Maguire01]

Should they have known better : yes

Do they deserve to be fired: no

All these guys should be made to publicly apologise to the girls in question and hmumiliated in front of their company IMO. What goes around comes around and all that.

However they were just young guys being young guys.

Bull. These 'young guys' are supposed to be professionals. The girls were trainees and as such, would likely have been reporting to some of those sending the emails.
And again, the names of those who sent the emails are public - there's no way PwC are going to let them away with an apology and then send them on out to a client.

[Maguire01]

I don't think, by their job titles, these guys are qualified just yet but I may be wrong. If not, it's hard to change training firm in the middle of it without a valid explanation for your new employer.

Senior Associates? That sounds like management to me.

[Rois]

I don't think, by their job titles, these guys are qualified just yet but I may be wrong. If not, it's hard to change training firm in the middle of it without a valid explanation for your new employer.

Senior Associates? That sounds like management to me.

Thought you worked for big four?

In our place you're an associate (junior or senior) until you qualify, then you become an executive, then assistant manager, manager, senior manager, director and ultimately partner. 

[Maguire01]

I don't think, by their job titles, these guys are qualified just yet but I may be wrong. If not, it's hard to change training firm in the middle of it without a valid explanation for your new employer.

Senior Associates? That sounds like management to me.

Thought you worked for big four?

In our place you're an associate (junior or senior) until you qualify, then you become an executive, then assistant manager, manager, senior manager, director and ultimately partner.

Different titles in different firms - you may be right.

[Tony Baloney]

Tony you are unbelievable, the government should employ you to defend their handling of the economy as you are so much in denial of reason you see black as white. How the Hell could it be kept in-house when it was in free circulation outside of the company via E.Mails, and ended up on the Internet. If you wish to respond further, at least engage your Brain before your Keyboard. Perhaps you would inform us as to why you are defending the indefensible, as you clearly must know it to be wrong

Jesus you're thick. Maguire and Pints got it, you didn't. Terrible use of mixed case in your post.

[The Forfeit Point]

I don't think, by their job titles, these guys are qualified just yet but I may be wrong. If not, it's hard to change training firm in the middle of it without a valid explanation for your new employer.

Senior Associates? That sounds like management to me.

so you didn't work for the big 4 then 

[Maguire01]

I don't think, by their job titles, these guys are qualified just yet but I may be wrong. If not, it's hard to change training firm in the middle of it without a valid explanation for your new employer.

Senior Associates? That sounds like management to me.

so you didn't work for the big 4 then 

I didn't work for PwC. See my post above.

[Pangurban]

Now dont be peevish as well as silly Tony. Its clear from Maguire and Pints posts, that their stance is broadly in line with mine. Still waiting to hear why you find it necessary to try and excuse the behaviour of these morons in PWC

[Gold]

I don't think, by their job titles, these guys are qualified just yet but I may be wrong. If not, it's hard to change training firm in the middle of it without a valid explanation for your new employer.

Senior Associates? That sounds like management to me.

Thought you worked for big four?

In our place you're an associate (junior or senior) until you qualify, then you become an executive, then assistant manager, manager, senior manager, director and ultimately partner.

Jesus that sounds like Karate belts!!

[illdecide]

Did the girls in question actually make an official complaint to PWC over these emails or was it blown out of proportion by the usual PC Brigade