When an outspoken boss has to go

In a recent Management Today article, Stephen Jones found an upside in the story of KPMG’s now former UK chair Bill Michaels, whose well-publicised comments on lockdown resulted in him parting ways with the Big Four accountancy firm. This was an example of businesses listening to the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of their employees. 

Another way of looking at it is a consequence of heightened sensitivity to reputational damage.

Any leadership team has to contend with competing interests and a whole range have emerged during Covid-19, not least the personal resilience of individual employees. But there has also been a more active interest across the media about how organisations have handled the crisis, both good and bad examples.