firms must continually adapt to new developments even as old issues linger.
by dan hood,
accounting today
the successful shift to remote work is probably the biggest change in 2020, and firms have a right to be pleased with how well they accomplished that, and with how well they’ve handled all the other challenges and changes that came along with the pandemic. the question is whether they’re prepared to continue to adapt.
more: survey: we adapted to remote work … now what? | survey: 2020’s disruptions are only the beginning | covid brought us more and better client communication
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lots of firms (and lots of people in general) are assuming that this will all be over at some point, and we’ll go back to something we call “normal.” but the likelihood is that we won’t return to that “normal” – instead, we’ll move on to some other new state, and then we’ll move on again, and again.
the thing they should do to prepare is to assume that something as disruptive as the pandemic is going to happen every year and to develop the agility they need to handle that.
2019 was really, really, really, really nice. i can’t remember much about it, but it seems really great in retrospect.
actually, many of the issues that were playing out then continue to play out now (often in a twisted, bizarro-world fashion …): the push to advisory services against the gravitational pull of compliance services, the struggle to keep staff engaged, the ongoing search for sources of growth and the need to stay ahead of the ever-advancing flood of new technologies.
4 responses to “2021: you’ll never see ‘normal’ again”
wayne m ciullo
you are 100% right in your assessment. we probably will never get back to what most people consider as normal. whether this is a good thing or not , only time will tell. that is why i am glad i only have two more years left until my planned retirement. after 35 years as a tax accountant. i surely do not envy those just statring their careers or those who have ten or more years left in their careers. its a brave new world that all will have to make adjustments to in order to just survive.
bill cornfield
i agree with les that this is a excellent post. however, i disagree that it we should be sad about moving on. i remember one of my parent’s friends was a “switchboard operator” and about how she lamented the good old days when she talked to all of her customers placing calls. to me one of the good things about this past year (and there are not many of them) is that we have learned that we can work remotely. i doubt that my company will ever go back to the way it was and i think this is a good thing. the commute for most people in our office has been eliminated and some are using that time to spend doing additional work and more time with their family. don’t get me wrong, i miss going to the office and having the quick interactions in the hallway that you do not get on a microsoft teams call, and i miss meeting clients and prospects at various locations. however, we have adapted in ways much better than i anticipated and we will continue to do so.
les orr
thank you for this excellent post. sadly, in many ways, it is most likely “right on.” we live in an ever changing universe.
i wanted to share a brief story. when i started in auditing and was later hired as controller by one of my clients, the usa dominated the textile industry. that was my main business focus. first, it “went south.” then, it went out of the country. now, is the usa even relevant?
anyone who thinks that “remote work” doesn’t ultimately translate to “who needed you in the first place” is, also sadly, missing the big picture.
lee frederiksen
you are so right about this dan. even if firms want to “go back” to the way things were, they will not be able to. the behavior of accounting and advisory services buyers have changed in important ways. buyers want a firm that can help them succeed in a changed world and are no longer tied to local providers.