Good morning and happy Tuesday! We took yesterday off due to the holiday, hope you got a little rest as well. It’s looking pretty dry out there for news, this brief will be extra brief.
Deloitte is the first company in Australia to be recognized as a “menopause friendly” workplace:
The accreditation was issued by Menopause Friendly Australia, an offshoot of a UK-based advocacy and advisory organisation which has now launched locally to bring attention to a subject which is still all-too-often ignored.
Deloitte received the badge following a thorough evaluation of its workplace initiatives across five global standards, deemed to have created a “supportive, inclusive, and accommodating environment” for those contending with the natural process.
“We know that menopause and its symptoms can disrupt the ability of our people to thrive in the workplace,” stated Pip Dexter, who has ushered in several major reforms during her time as Deloitte’s chief people & purpose officer. “Because it has largely been a taboo topic until recently, many women fear that disclosing reproductive health issues may negatively impact their careers.”
This is definitely worthy of a deep dive.
Things appear to be turning around at KPMG UK with the firm finally adding some new equity partners:
KPMG has promoted employees to its top ranks for the first time in four years in a bet that demands for its professional services will grow after fighting a sector-wide slowdown.
The Big Four firm has added 42 new “equity partners”, who jointly own and manage the firm, having shrunk the number of partners to a fraction of the size of its competitors.
It is thought the promotions have boosted the size of KPMG’s partnership to more than 500 after its numbers fell to their lowest level since 2002 earlier this year. While it has not promoted internally to its top ranks, it has hired some outsiders to join its partnership.
PwC Australia will be handing over some money to jilted ex-partners, reports AFR:
PwC Australia has entered into settlements worth millions of dollars with two of the eight partners forced from the firm over allegations they were involved or did not adequately address the firm’s tax leak scandal or failed to meet their professional responsibilities.
One of the settlements, worth about $2 million, is with Wayne Plummer, a former senior PwC corporate tax partner and leader of the firm’s tax risk and quality team, according to a source familiar with the arrangements but not authorised to speak about the settlements.
Earlier: Fuel Up the Bus, PwC Australia Has Named and Shamed Eight Partners Tied to the Tax Leak Scandal
After six decades of serving clients, PwC is pulling out of Fiji and forcing its partners to pretend like they’re excited to be working for Grant Thornton instead:
GLOBAL accounting “big four” firm PwC is pulling out of Fiji after 60 years of offering support across Audit & Assurance and Tax services to multiple industries.
In a statement issued this week, the Fiji firm revealed they were parting ways amicably and that it will now join the Grant Thornton network from next month.
“My colleagues and I are delighted to be joining the Grant Thornton network. The Grant Thornton network is located in over 140 markets globally, with over 70,000 people and generates revenues in excess of $US7 billion per annum,” PwC Fiji’s senior partner Jerome Kado said.
“We remain fully committed to providing high quality work to our clients and stakeholders.”
EY bought an HR tech consultancy:
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced today that Jubilant, an award-winning HR technology consultancy focused on implementing and supporting human capital management, payroll and workforce management systems, has joined EY US to further bolster our capabilities in this fast-growing market.
With more than 50 professionals focused on HR technology services, Jubilant has differentiated itself in the market by designing and building accelerators that automate testing for payroll and workforce management, and by delivering advanced tools for data movement, analysis and validation.
Seems the firm is on a buying streak of late. Last month EY announced it would acquire Dignari, LLC, “a woman-owned leading technology consulting firm specializing in digital identity and access management (IAM) solutions.”
In India, an audit manager at EY who divorced her husband after he lost his job sent a legal notice after she saw his fancy new car on social media:
Cut to four years [after divorce], the woman has sent a legal notice demanding Rs 2 crore after he bought a Mercedes C200 and posted a picture and video of it on his social media platform.
Taking to his X handle, the man shared, “My ex-wife (Currently Audit Manager in EY) divorced me when I lost my job after torturing me. A proper MOU was done & money I gave. After 4 years of divorce, I bought a Mercedes C200 & posted a pic on FB. She sent a legal notice demanding 2 crore the same week. This is their nature.”
He also shared a video of his old vehicle and shared, “I bought this Tata Nano XTA which we had when I was married. I lost my job and she became impatient and divorced me after getting money.”
She #divorced him when he lost his job.
— ShoneeKapoor (@ShoneeKapoor) November 8, 2024
4 years, when she knew that he bought a #Mercedes from FB page, she sent a legal notice asking for 2 Crore.pic.twitter.com/BoO5SL5F60
As if you need another reason to hate HOAs:
A former accountant of the Hammocks Home Owners Association has been arrested amid the years-long investigation into the alleged massive theft of funds from the HOA, prosecutors announced Friday.
Jesus Cue, 63, was arrested on charges including racketeering, money laundering, grand theft, unlawful compensation, organized scheme to defraud and fraudulent use of personal identification information, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office said.
Cue and his company acted as a controller/accountant consultant for the HOA board from October 2018 to November 2022, receiving $644,000 in [fake] vendor payments during that time.
This is not the beginning of a joke…
Under the roof of a small kiosk in front of a shelter for the displaced west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, three young men gathered one morning in July to prepare falafel and sell it to the displaced people around them.
Small falafel kiosks have sprung up all around Gaza over the past year to cater to the hundreds of thousands of displaced people. This one, though, gained fame – not just for its falafel, but for the story that unites the three young men who run it.
Told ya there wasn’t much going on. Please, I beg you, let me know via email or text if you see anything interesting happening out there. Bye!