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Management

How green is your accountant?

Written by Max Williamson, director, CareersinAudit.com

Wednesday, 19 December 2007

Whilst the UN’s climate conference in Bali proved to be a disappointment for many, environmental issues have certainly made their impact on the finance community.

Having recruited for the accounting profession for over ten years, one of the most striking of current trends is the growing number of candidates who are passing over opportunities with companies which are perceived as being environmentally unfriendly.

It seems that being ‘green’ is becoming more than just a buzz word and is having a material effect on people’s career choices.

Very few candidates would have refused the opportunity of an interview with British Airways or any other airline because of environmental concerns five years ago. It is more common-place today and indicative of the growing importance of having a ‘green CV’.

Green barometer

Tobacco, oil and gas companies have always had the ability to provoke such a response from candidates. Today’s candidates are applying the ‘green barometer’ to a broader number of companies, however, particularly those in the aerospace, automotive and mining sectors.

Interestingly, companies are being avoided for what they don’t do as much as for their core activities. Candidates are also declining positions within banking and pharmaceutical companies for this very reason.

Awareness of such issues is also growing among employers and this year we have seen hiring managers question the motivations of those working with environmentally unfriendly firms.

I am thinking of the case of a hiring manager from a Fortune 500 firm who queried the motivations of an internal audit candidate who was working for a tobacco company in an emerging market.

Corporate responsibility

When CareersinAudit.com recently ran a survey on green values in the workplace, however, a more complex picture began to emerge.

When asked to rank the importance of certain issues when choosing a new job, not a single respondent chose environmental policy or corporate responsibility as the most important factor. Salary and work-life balance were the most popular choices by far.

Interestingly, nearly 75 per cent of respondents said green issues could be a deciding factor between two companies, but only if the offer from the greener company was as high as it was from the ‘dirtier’ company.

Fifty per cent of respondents also said that employers should judge them on their ability, irrespective of the industries they have worked for.

It seems that accountants are happy to switch off lights and print documents selectively but are still ruled by their commercial instincts when it comes to salary negotiations, even though those negotiations may now be held over a cup of fair trade coffee.

Cutting edge experience

The ‘Green CV’ also presents something of a conundrum for accountants and finance executives, who are typically dynamic characters and want to work in dynamic and fast moving environments.

Unfortunately, these are not always the most environmentally friendly. Tobacco in emerging markets provides finance managers with cutting edge experience and right now the oil industry is probably the fastest moving and most profitable industry.

It is a divisive issue. For those in companies perceived to be less environmentally friendly, it will be interesting to see whether or not such issues have a detrimental effect on their ability to recruit and what steps they will take to prevent this happening.

In the days of post-apartheid South Africa, listed companies began to provide diversity ‘audits’ on their company. It is easy to see a situation where companies formalise their green credentials to provide an edge when marketing their companies.

It is an issue for employees and employers alike. If we amplify the trends we are currently seeing, it is likely to make a significant change to the way people recruit and find jobs over the next few years.

Max Williamson is a director of CareersinAudit.com.

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