Discrimination causing accountants to miss out on promotion

Accountants believe they are missing out on promotions because they are being discriminated against on a range of attributes including age, gender and disability according to the latest research ëPromotion and Prejudiceí from CareersinAudit.com the leading job board and industry resource for audit professionals.

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Over three-quarters (79%) of accountants believe that age discrimination still exists in the profession, with 74% believing that accountants miss out on promotions because of this factor. Other prejudices in the workplace which can prevent promotion include oneís gender (74%), disability (68%) and social background (68%).

Over a third (36%) revealed that they had personally missed out on a promotion because of their age and almost over a quarter (29%) stated their gender played a part in missing out on furthering their career and a further 22% believing their appearance determined whether they received a promotion.

Whilst over half of those surveyed were aware their company had an anti-discrimination policy in place, nine-in-ten accountants surveyed believe that firms should have tighter policies to prevent discrimination. In addition, 89% of accountants believe that the buck shouldnít stop with firms and the industryís regulatory bodies should be taking further steps to combat these prejudices.

Part of the problem lies in firms not doing enough to encourage employees to report incidents where they feel discrimination has taken place. Over a third (36%) of accountants worry that reporting an incident could ruin their chances of a future promotion and worryingly over a quarter (28%) said that HR or management would probably not care.

Perhaps there is some truth in the old adage ëitís not what you know but who you knowí, as almost two-thirds (63%) believe nepotism plays a big part when it comes to being promoted within the industry, whilst nearly half (44%) believe getting on well with the CEO helps to achieve a promotion.

Other highlights of the research include:

More than half (60%) of accountants agree that a man is more likely to be promoted when competing with a woman with the same qualifications;

In contrast 22% of accountants believe that someone would miss out on a promotion because of height and 23% for being bald;

Eight-in-ten accountants (83%) revealed they would leave their current job within a year if they were not awarded a promotion they deserved;

Over two-thirds (68%) of accountants believe discrimination against a person with a disability still exists in the workplace, with over half (58%) stating accountants with a disability miss out on promotions.

Max Williamson, Director of CareersinAudit.com adds: ìGetting promoted should be based on ability, qualifications and suitability for the role. One would hope that these statistics would be significantly lower, given legislators have worked hard over the past few years to ensure greater diversity and equality at work.

ìBoth companies and the accounting profession need to take a tougher and more pro-active stance to prevent any form of discrimination in the workplace taking place. At the same time, firms need to do more to encourage employees to report incidents, without fear of negative repercussions.î