17. The Value Proposal to the Employees

In the Andersen Culture the employees were persons; they were treated as persons and so they were called, not with the impersonal “workers” or with the offensive “resources” that came to use later, even at Andersen itself, in its last years. They are still called that in many companies, something hardly compatible with the motivation needed by any professional.

At Andersen, persons were called by their own names, or generically by category (assistants, seniors, managers…) or by specialization (auditors, consultants, tax advisors…). They were also mentioned as “professionals” in general; or “employees” or “personnel” when referring to the whole Firm’s staff, including the splendid and efficient support personnel ...

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