staffing & recruiting

how accounting firms are handling the staff shortage

by

two women having business discussion in front of laptop; wall of windows in background

some creativity may be in order.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

rare is the cpa firm that has no problem finding, hiring and retaining professionals in accountancy. those that don’t have a problem are either not hiring or are paying plenty with packages that include higher than average salaries, the option to work remotely, stock option plans and other benefits.

more: the future of fees | as private equity closes in, firms seek new answers to staffing problems | when staffing falls short, clients get culled | how accounting firms are dealing with retirement | next five years are critical for accounting firms | staffing turnover’s down, but why? | what’s your firm worth? private equity wants to know | the new pipeline: outsourcing and offshoring | is this the last year of accounting’s golden age?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

several of the top-notch consultants who contributed observations to the 2024 rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics not only noted the problem but shared some of the solutions that firms are applying.
read more →

staff crave advancement and challenge

by

three coworkers looking at a tablet

do your people know what it takes to get ahead?

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset

the cpa firm mergers and acquisitions company prohorizons has surveyed thousands of staff on what they want most from their jobs. here are excerpts from their survey results:

more: what leadership looks and feels at cpa firms | eleven things that good mentors do | give the recognition your staff needs | the importance of great bosses | how remote work is impacting accounting firms | make work flexibility work for everyone | why staff leave cpa firms … and how to stop them | how to solve the big disconnect in talent management | what relevance means for staffing in accounting | how accounting staffing has changed
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

opportunities for growth and development

one of the most common reasons people leave their jobs is because they don’t see potential for future growth. staff want to be in a position where they are constantly growing and improving instead of just staying stagnant. the best cpa firms encourage that growth by providing opportunities for career and personal development.
read more →

when staffing falls short, clients get culled

by

man in suit exiting office building

revenues are taking a hit.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

who ever thought it would come to this – accounting firms reducing their clientele?

it seems to be increasingly common, and the reasons are clear. it isn’t a desire to reduce revenues. it’s a desire to keep up with the workload without burning out.

more: how accounting firms are dealing with retirement | next five years are critical for accounting firms | staffing turnover’s down, but why? | what’s your firm worth? private equity wants to know | the new pipeline: outsourcing and offshoring | is this the last year of accounting’s golden age?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

with fewer professionals entering the profession, and more of them leaving, more than half of practices are culling their less profitable or more problematic clients.

read more →

what leadership looks and feels at cpa firms

by

three men seated at table in office and talking

thirty ways that firms are developing staff into partners.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset

“before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. when you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – jack welch

“good employees make mistakes. great leaders let them.” – anonymous

we are probably the millionth people to form a list of important leadership qualities, but we want to share what we have learned from working with cpa firms for over 20 years.

more: eleven things that good mentors do | give the recognition your staff needs | the importance of great bosses | how remote work is impacting accounting firms | make work flexibility work for everyone | why staff leave cpa firms … and how to stop them | how to solve the big disconnect in talent management | what relevance means for staffing in accounting | how accounting staffing has changed
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

many of these traits are geared to partners and firm management, but many apply to staff as well. read more →

staff turnover’s down, but why?

by

the aftermath of the great resignation leaves many questions.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics

as the pandemic wound down, there was a pretty big shakeup at cpa firms. almost a fifth of employees left their firm. some moved on to similar positions. some got canned. and some ditched the whole profession in a search for satisfaction elsewhere.

more: what’s your firm worth? private equity wants to know | the new pipeline: outsourcing and offshoring | is this the last year of accounting’s golden age?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

charles hylan – managing director of the growth partnership, which conducts the rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics – hazards a guess, based on his experience with cpa firms, that “a large number are leaving the profession altogether.” among all firms surveyed, i.e., firms with over $2 million in billings, “a whopping 75 percent of staff turnover is voluntary.”

read more →

katie thomas: how to recruit the best, organically | gear up for growth

by

leveraging social media and other digital platforms allows firms to attract talent without relying on traditional job boards or recruiters.

listen, stream, download, share, and subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere: apple, google/youtube, spotify, iheart, deezer, amazon music and audible, player fm, audacy, rss.

gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

“you actually have to be a good firm,” katie thomas, cpa, founder and owner of leaders online llc, replies when asked about the factors needed for an organic inbound recruitment strategy to work. “and that may seem obvious, but if you are doing the things that people aren’t attracted to, no, it doesn’t matter how great your marketing team is, they can’t make you stand out if you don’t have leading ideas and leading thoughts of things that you’re doing to change the firm or change the profession and have people actually want to come work with you.”

gear up for growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and effficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. more gear up for growth every friday here.|  more capstone conversations with jean caragher every monday | more jean caragher here | get her best-selling handbook, the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, here | more 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts here

thomas is this week’s guest on gear up for growth, a new show hosted by jean caragher, president of capstone marketing, and powered by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间. the focus of her recruitment strategy is on how to get more accountants to stay in the profession and realize there are firms that are doing things differently.

read more →

eleven things that good mentors do

by

man and woman talking in office; he is seated in chair, she is sitting on edge of table

plus 14 keys to successful programs.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset

“the delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” – steven spielberg

the existence of a mentoring program is a statement by the firm that it doesn’t want to leave the retention, development and success of its staff to chance. instead, the firm wants to be proactive about helping staff succeed and grow.

more: give the recognition your staff needs | the importance of great bosses | how remote work is impacting accounting firms | make work flexibility work for everyone | why staff leave cpa firms … and how to stop them | how to solve the big disconnect in talent management | what relevance means for staffing in accounting | how accounting staffing has changed
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

a mentor is a neutral sounding board for the staff person. ideally, a mentor should not be a staff person’s supervisor on work projects. at smaller firms, this may not be feasible.

a mentor helps staff navigate office politics and shows them the ropes, helping guide them to their next roles.
read more →

the new pipeline: outsourcing and offshoring

by

businessman's hand pointing to icons, one of which is labeled "outsourcing"

firms still are working out their options and business models.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

the 2024 rosenberg national survey of cpa firm statistics has found something that everybody knew. it has also found that there’s more of it than anybody knew.

and that there’s more coming.

more: is this the last year of accounting’s golden age?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

this swelling tsunami sweeping over the accounting industry is the use of outsourced staff, outsourced tax returns, and the ultimate in remote work, offshoring assignments and functions to foreign lands.
read more →

the slow, painful death of the 150-hour rule

by

ending a 50-year mandate, now “competency” counts (again).

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

after a quarter century of campaigning to get the 150-hour rule passed by all 50 states, overcoming opposition that seemed at one time as if it would rend the profession’s institutions, and after another quarter century of finding that the rule was failing by all critical measures, the aicpa and nasba are rolling out a workaround that could kill the rule.

more 150-hour rule  | download the exposure draft

the organizations are offering a “competency-based” hurdle for cpa licensure that signals abject surrender.

this is the story, 50 years in the making, of (mostly) good intentions gone bad, unintended (but not unforeseen) consequences, and how rank-and-file cpas (eventually) overcame the power plays of multinational firms. read more →

give the recognition your staff needs

by

five people applauding in business setting, recognizing coworker

fifteen common ways that firms do it.

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset

“i could live two months on one compliment alone.” – mark twain

suppose you ask staff (or partners, for that matter), “how important is it for the firm or your boss to recognize your accomplishments and efforts?” a knee-jerk response may be this: “it’s nice but not that important. i’m self-motivated and don’t need others to tell me when i do something good.”

more: the importance of great bosses | how remote work is impacting accounting firms | make work flexibility work for everyone | why staff leave cpa firms … and how to stop them | how to solve the big disconnect in talent management | what relevance means for staffing in accounting | how accounting staffing has changed
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

we usually regard these responses as somewhat defensive because everyone wants recognition. it’s a fundamental human need.
read more →

best people practices for small firms with kristin murray & jennifer wilson | gear up for growth

by

kristin murray and jennifer wilson reveal strategies for growth, culture, and staff retention.

[preview] the complete video episode, including commentary, analysis, notes, takeaways, additional background information, and transcript,  is exclusively first available to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research pro members first. | go pro here.

stream, listen, download, and subscribe to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 podcasts anywhere:
apple, google/youtube, spotify, iheart, deezer, amazon music and audible, player fm, audacy, rss

gear up for growth
with jean caragher
for 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

“probably no surprise, the greatest challenge to growth in this industry is attracting and retaining talent,” says kristin murray, managing partner of weinstein spira. “without that, there is no growth, and given the landscape of our industry right now, that’s everybody’s biggest challenge. if it’s not, i’d be amazed.”

gear up for growth spotlights the best strategies for smart and efficient growth in today’s competitive landscape. more gear up for growth every friday here.|  more capstone conversations with jean caragher every monday | more jean caragher here | get her best-selling handbook, the 90-day marketing plan for cpa firms, here | more the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 broadcast channel

“kristin was the person in her firm who stuck her neck out and took the risk back when she was a tax partner leading the hr and culture initiatives for the firm,”  says jennifer wilson, partner and co-founder of convergence coaching.

murray and wilson reveal their strategies for firm growth, firm culture, and staff retention on gear up for growth, hosted by jean caragher, president of capstone marketing, and powered by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

read more →

the importance of great bosses

by

do your employees want to spend time with you?

by marc rosenberg
cpa firm staff: managing your #1 asset

in most organizations, everyone reports to a specific individual. early in his career, marc rosenberg was the controller of a valve manufacturing company. the company grew to the point where he needed to hire an assistant controller. guess who that person reported to 100 percent? guess who was totally responsible for the success of that assistant controller? marc, in both cases. if that person failed because of no fault of marc’s, it still reflected negatively on him. marc was held accountable.

more: how remote work is impacting accounting firms | make work flexibility work for everyone | why staff leave cpa firms … and how to stop them | how to solve the big disconnect in talent management | what relevance means for staffing in accounting | how accounting staffing has changed
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

 

but cpa firms operate differently, and therein lies the rub. staff have multiple bosses because each client they work on has a different team consisting of a partner, a manager and/or a senior. we call this the “who’s my boss” syndrome. staff often feel like they have no boss and therefore, no one is looking out for them. or they feel like they have too many bosses when each of their engagements is with a different team.

these are two of the many reasons mentoring is so important. one of the mentor’s jobs is to make their mentees feel like someone is looking out for them.
read more →

partners: your middle managers are getting squeezed

by

staff just don’t feel comfortable asking for things that help their mental and physical well-being.

client pressure: 84 percent can work from home at least sometimes. however, only 44 percent say the firm has their back with difficult clients.

by seth fineberg
accountants forward

crabtree

this may seem mysterious, but when it comes to ensuring job satisfaction and retaining staff, firm leaders should pay closer attention to middle management/mid-career staff and their connection to employees and the work itself, according to a survey conducted by tri-merit group co-founder randy crabtree, hb publishing & marketing company founder hank berkowitz, and myself at accountants forward.

more staffing here | more surveys and research here | more seth fineberg here

“everything about putting your people first leads to increasing the satisfaction of those who work in the profession,” says crabtree. “things like firms having your back, supporting their growth or getting to know who the people you work with are matters greatly.” he added, “when you have a good variety of work to do and find you enjoy that work, you won’t mind working the extra hours at times either.”

read more →