A KPMG chief executive has stepped aside from his duties after he was filmed during a meeting telling staff to “stop moaning” about Covid-19.
The accountancy firm has launched an independent investigation into the alleged conduct of Bill Michael, the chief executive of KPMG UK, who stands accused of telling employees to stop “playing the victim card.”
According to several inside sources who spoke exclusively to the Financial Times, the meeting also saw Michael dismiss the concept of unconscious bias and the idea assumptions could be made based on facts like gender or race as “complete c**p”.
KPMG currently offers unconscious bias training to its employees across the globe.
Several staff members subsequently posted anonymous complaints on the app hosting the meeting.
The KPMG boss also stands accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet with clients, with the Financial Times reporting that he even suggested employees follow his example.
Michael served as KPMG’s chair of operations since 2017.
He reportedly apologised to the 500+ staff in attendance at the meeting and later expressed “regret” over his candor in an email sent to staff.
“I know that words matter and I regret the ones I chose to use today. I think lockdown is proving difficult for all of us. I am very sorry for what I said and the way that I said it.”
Michael was previously hospitalised with coronavirus last March.
Bina Mehta has been drafted in as chairman in the interim.
A spokesperson for KPMG UK told Yahoo Finance: “Following the meeting on 8 February, the firm initiated an independent investigation into the alleged comments in accordance with its usual procedures.
“Michael has decided to step aside from his duties as chair while the investigation is underway. We take this matter very seriously and will not comment further while the investigation is ongoing.”
The scandal comes just days after it emerged KPMG staff from ethnic minority backgrounds are paid 38.2% less on average than white colleagues.
This disparity is said to be due to their underrepresentation in senior roles.
According to KPMG UK’s full-year results Michael was paid £1.7m ($2.4m) in 2020, down from £1.98m in 2019.
KPMG’s 582 partners took an 11% pay cut last year but still earned an average of £572,000 each.
It followed a year in which sales slumped 4% to £2.3bn.
See More: Coronavirus, Covid-19, KPMG
