The Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB), which Chartered Accountants Ireland is a member of, have published the results of an ethics survey conducted in July and August 2021. This informal survey was designed to take the ethical temperature of the accountancy profession in the UK and Ireland over the last 3 years and as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Survey respondents included members of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in Ireland and UK and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
There was a spread of responses across four sectors including members who work in audit or accountancy firms, public sector, commercial sector and charity/non-profit sector.
Details of the results are available on the CCAB website and a summary of the key highlights include:
- 27 per cent of respondents indicated that in the last three years they had been put under pressure or felt under pressure to act in a professionally unethical way.
- Some respondents indicated the pressure to act in a professionally unethical way was applied by directors, managers, clients or members of a board or council.
- 28 per cent of respondents identified the “CFO/FD/CEO/or any other director”, and 27 per cent identified “My line manager or their line manager” as the person who applied the pressure. 18 per cent said it was a “client”, 10 per cent cited “the Board/Cabinet/Council”.
- 54 per cent of respondents felt under threat in some way with some indicating that the pressure had taken a toll on mental health and economic well-being, including feeling isolated, being dismissed, being briefed against, facing false allegations, loss of client, poor performance reviews and future prospects threatened.
- 80 per cent spoke up to prevent being put under the pressure.
- 65 per cent did not carry out the unethical task that they were pressured to do. However, 10 per cent did carry out the task fully and 25 per cent did so partially.
Commenting on the results, Níall Fitzgerald, Head of Ethics and Governance for Chartered Accountants Ireland and member of the CCAB Ethics Group who co-ordinated the survey, said: “The results highlight the importance of being aware of likely threats to professional ethics and where they can come from. Unless they are appropriately addressed, the unethical pressures can have a negative impact on the professional’s responsibility to act in the public interest and they can have a very real impact on personal wellbeing of the professional accountant.”
“The Chartered Accountants Ireland Ethics Resource Centre contains some useful resources that provide insights on ethical issues that can arise in the role of a professional accountant and guides to assist members in addressing ethical dilemmas.”
In the CCAB Press release, Iain Lowson, chair of the CCAB Ethics Group, said: “Ethics is at the heart of being a professional accountant and it’s important to regularly take the ethical temperature of the profession. This informal survey provides a useful snapshot of the current context.”
“It’s clear ethical pressures are a real problem for a significant number of accountants and it’s concerning to see so many reports of a negative impact on mental health.”
“On the other hand, it is encouraging that so many accountants feel empowered to speak out against unethical pressures and practices and that so many respondents say they promote an ethics-based culture in their organisations.”
“Accountants’ professional membership bodies are useful sources of training, advice and support and each will have their own Code of Ethics based on the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA). We would urge any accountants who feel exposed to ethical pressures to approach their professional body for support and to refresh their knowledge of the relevant code.”
LOADING...