To be gobsmacked that an interviewee openly told dh that he had looked at our accounts…

[ChampagneWorries]

On companies house?

Dh did an interview today via zoom and the interviewee openly told him that they had looked at our company accounts on companies house to see if we were a healthy company!

Our dividends are on there and I'm really shocked that he basically admitted to being so nosey.

I know they are public information (which i disagree with) but they do show the company income, how much cash was in the bank and our salary etc.

Dh wants to offer him the job as he had some good qualities, but this has really put me off him.

I know people do look at peoples companies on the companies house, but you don't bloody tell them surely?!

Would you still offer him the job?

You would do an HPI check on a car you’re buying so why not check out where you will be working? You’re investing a lot when you start at a new company - he sounds like a promising candidate

You are very unreasonable - you’ve invited him to interview for a job at your company and you complain when he does his due diligence! You really need to take a look at your preciousness and if you’d be a healthy employer for anyone! Do you have other staff?

It would make me want to employ him more, but your response would make me want to work for you less.
*this
how strange

I'm glad you have taken on board how unreasonable your first reaction was

You really don't have to organise your company as incorporated/limited, but there are significant advantages in tax treatment and risk for doing so. You could accept the risks and run as a partnership.

I would be very surprised if any serious business advisor would encourage you to do so.

Given how much there was for you to learn, I encourage you to get some help with managing employees. They don't deserve your thinking badly of them for doing what is so obviously the right thing, and for being honest about it.

I would hate to work for someone who didn't know these things.

They would be remiss not to investigate the company they were potentially going to work for. If you want privacy, you should be sole traders or a partnership and deal with not having the tax breaks of dividends.

@ChampagneWorries

We have a wage of 162k a year between me and dh after tax, NI etc.

Yes I’am embarrassed about that. I grew up on a council estate, went to a crap primary and high school and left school with barely a G.C.S.E to my name. Dh was the same.

So yes i hate the fact people can see what i earn, it never bothered me when i worked for min wage years ago but it does bother me now. When i knew he had looked at the companies house, it was him seeing the dividends that sprang to my mind first.

You have nothing to be embarrassed about! It’s misplaced, don’t let that feeling cloud your judgement about this person.

At first glance i thought this was going to be a banking employee checking out his bosses current account! Now that would BVVU but this shows initiative and also that he or she wishes to stick around long enough to be a credit to you. See what I did there!

@Pagwatch

It doesn’t happen often - there are loads of rags to riches types who are really generous and empathetic to those with less than them because they know how it feels. My parents were this type.

But equally I have met a couple of very well off people who use “growing up poor” as an excuse for all types of shitty behaviour around money.

Eg never paying their share on a night out, never tipping etc, and using “but I grew up poor so I’m very careful with money” as an excuse. Or treating their staff badly, or bragging about their wealth loudly to anyone who will listen... but then if called out playing the victim and saying oh but poor me poor me, I grew up poor and am really the victim here because I didn’t know any better. Even though they’ve been rich for years and their poor childhood is now a distant memory.

In these scenarios, at what point do you accept that, despite your background, you’ve now just become a privileged, tight arsehole?

I’m not calling OP any of these things as no suggestion from her post that she’s tight with money, or brags or treats staff badly etc. But I do think sometimes that people who get rich later in life fall back a little too easily on having a poor upbringing as a kind of get out of jail card for any wrongdoing around money...

I'd view a candidate who hadn't looked at the website, companies house and read the annual report etc very dimly. And I'd not want to work for a company that thought I was overstepping by looking if I was being interviewed. Sounds secretive and not what I'd value in an employer.

Ah, the old humble brag

I'd hire him. He was doing his research and was honest as he told you. I dont know what your problem is. It is info in the public domain so he is entitled to look. My careers advisor at school told us to always research companies we applied to.

Good diligence on their part!

YABU

Wow what an amazing thing to do. If someone wants to take the time to see if they are applying for a viable company that is solid and got good profits then yeah good on them . Shows initiative. That is what most candidate should do, not going accepting a job blindly that coluld go bust in 5 mins.

Someonetookmyname
I’m sure you’re right and Im sure those types exist. It the same as people who have done well from free university and easy access to the housing ladder who now pretend they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps

I think I’m just questioning the idea that it’s really common. Most people I know in real life who emerged from a poor/poorer background are generous and grateful for what they have. I’m just acutely aware that at times I’ve been a bit weird about money and I’m trying to empathise with those who had a hard childhood and emerged wary and defensive. I’ve not been in a position where an unexpected expense is terrifying for decades but I still get incredibly frightened when I think about bills. I’m not sure that ever goes
But you’re right - I’m sure the rich wankers using being ‘self made’ exist. I’m just pondering how common that stereotype is.

I also see it as someone smart, doing their research. It is a 2 way process and they are also interviewing you to see if they want you as an employer. The fact that they are being honest about it means they obviously like what they see. In this day and age, when looking around a company beforehand is more difficult due to Covid, I'd say they were showing initiative in using the resources available to them. Anyone who has an existing job and is looking is taking a considerable gamble by leaving if they don't research it well and find either it wasn't for them or the company is on shaky ground. They are being savvy that's got to be better than ignorant.

Employ them, they are showing initiative, do many people don't do any research before an interview.

You’re really odd OP

You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, being self-made and comfortable. You should in fact be proud of yourself. It's remarkable.

You should, however, be very embarrassed about writing something like this: "I used to look after dying people on min wage and was never EVER tipped so i will not tip people who i feel do an easier job than what i used to do," which wholly lacks empathy and generosity.

@ChampagneWorries

I know the grammar isn't correct in the original post, i realised that as soon as it were posted but didn't think it would matter as I'm not here on a professional basis

You'd better hope that the daily mail or loose women don't get hold of this thread then OP - because the EVERYONE will know about you!!!

I think it’s a good thing he looked to be honest. Surely everyone does this when going for a new job? You need to make sure the company is not in tonnes of debt and financially unstable otherwise there’s no point in applying to work there. Shows common sense and the fact that he admitted it shows honesty too. I’d give him the job if he’s right for the role.

He did due diligence. Give him the job based on that!

Many thanks for all the nasty insults, i hope it made you feel worthy and superior to me.

I think people have responded to the way you came across in your OP. I doubt that anyone was trying to feel superior. You say that grammar doesn’t matter because its anonymous and not work related but you still write ‘i would never of’..

Oops, didn’t proofread properly, wrong ‘it’s’ 😒 How embarrassing.

@skodadoda

Many thanks for all the nasty insults, i hope it made you feel worthy and superior to me.

I think people have responded to the way you came across in your OP. I doubt that anyone was trying to feel superior. You say that grammar doesn’t matter because its anonymous and not work related but you still write ‘i would never of’..

Can you please explain what the correct grammar should be in “I would never of...”

I personally don’t see anything wrong with it, but then again I have explained above that I did leave school with barely a G.C.C.E.

Ahh I’ve just noticed it should be “I would never have...”

Or is that not correct either?