Robert Edwards graduated from university in 2008, shortly before his 23 rd birthday.1 bachelor's degree in Economics, followed by a master's degree in Management, and he decided that he would like to become an accountant. He applied to all of the large accounting firms with offices in London, and some of the smaller ones, and eventually received a job offer from RSVP, "one of the largest and most prestigious firms of accountants in the country." .
In common with many large accounting consultancy companies, RSVP targeted careers fairs at a number of reputable universities with a view to recruiting a set number of promising graduates and postgraduates who could be nurtured and moulded to fit the organisation's perceived future needs. The package deal was, on the face of it, quite a simple one. Robert and the other recruits would be employed on a well-paid but relatively lowly grade for a period of three years. During this time he would be sponsored to train for, and achieve, fully-qualified accountant status. He would also be moved around a succession of different departments within the organisation, in order to gain insights into how the company functioned. At the end of the three-year period he would be expected to be fully qualified and to apply for a suitable post in whichever part of the organisation that he found most attractive, and from then onwards it would be entirely up to him how quickly, or how slowly, he progressed within the company. .
At the age of 26, Robert had faced a dilemma. He had served his initial three years at RSVP, and he was now fully qualified. Not everybody had been so successful. Out of the 20 people in his intake, almost half had left the company already "some had discovered that they did not like the work, or the organisation; others had failed their professional examinations and had been asked to leave by the management. He faced a stark choice "should he stay or should he leave?" The working hours at RSVP were fairly standard.