jobs

coronavirus rattles tax season

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can you turn a crisis into an opportunity?

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer
benchmarks, trends & analysis
join the survey. get the results.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

coronavirus—covid-19—is coming. don’t imagine it won’t reach your community. it will. and even if you manage to keep it out of your office, and even if its lethality is less than the flu, just the threat of covid-19 is already impacting many tax and accounting firms.

how accountants are preparing for the worst:

  • do you have the portals, web-based apps, and cloud accounts necessary for staff to work from home? have you tested them? maybe you should have an everybody-works-from-home-day drill.
  • do you have policies and procedures in place for home-based work?
  • do individual staff have plans for caring for their family without disrupting work?
  • have you prepared clients for the possibility of electronic delivery of data and documentation? do they understand what to do?
  • are you ready to request filing extensions due to staff or client illness or local quarantine?
  • have you established sanitation procedures for your office?
  • do you have a vision of the worst-case scenario? this could include a) long-term quarantines of your office, other businesses, and all clients, b) widespread illness and absence of staff, c) general economic downturn, d) interruptions in cash flow, e) slower than usual responses from the irs, and f) well…what else can go wrong?

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer has always asked a variety of poignant questions about everything from the status of firms to the state of the economy. this is the first year, however, that it includes a question about disease. read more →

cyber security at a virtual cpa firm

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woman sitting outside with laptop and smartphonefile and folder sharing is just one complication.

by jody grunden

working remotely has some great perks for the employees – flexible hours, no commute, casual dress and fewer distractions, to name a few. however, working remotely can also present some unique challenges when it comes to technology and security.

more: innovate for the right reasons | 5 questions to evaluate new tech tools | traditional benefits for remote employees | the hidden cost of running a distributed company | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | the rise of the virtual cfo
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

unlike a traditional brick-and-mortar office, when you work remotely, no one is going to walk into your home office and set up your equipment for you. employees have to be willing and able to hook up all those cables, monitors and other peripherals themselves.
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how engaged are your employees?

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blue pencil on survey formyou might not like surveys, but you might need one.

by steven e. sacks

while the consideration of succession planning has taken up a lot of airtime in recent years, there is something even more important to consider and that is how to attract and retain talent.

more: performance reviews: no need to pull teeth | have you gauged your staff’s enthusiasm? | why knowledge maintenance is key | retention starts with the hiring interview | the new way to handle exit interviews
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

questions most often asked by a cpa firm managing partner when someone leaves:

  • did we see this coming?
  • did he/she express any dissatisfaction?
  • do you know if it was a money or promotion issue?
  • was there something we could have done to head this off?

read more →

performance reviews: no need to pull teeth

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two businessmen talking at officeconsider the power of “you.”

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals: practical guidance for today’s accounting firms

firms either employ a formalized, thoughtful and comprehensive approach to evaluate employees, or they just use their gut instinct on a timeline that is not consistent. in any event, the amount of effort expended will yield a proportionate return on investment.

more: have you gauged your staff’s enthusiasm? | managing difficult personalities in the workplace | set your staff on the right course | how motivation is like bathing | be a talent magnet | make crap a badge of honor | the job interview: a make or break proposition | 10 elements to balancing shareholders’ needs
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

there are, however, situations in which companies go overboard in their quest to acquire information and deliver their findings through a process that is slow and plodding.
read more →

headcounts dip by 3,500 in tax & accounting

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hourly earnings hit new high.

by beth bellor

cpa firms and payroll agencies are trimming their headcounts going into busy season 2020, according to new data obtained by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

in this report, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 highlights:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, payroll, tax and cpa segments of the industry (all data seasonally adjusted)
  • average hourly wages for key segments
  • typical hours worked per week
  • trends concerning women in the accounting workforce

read more →

5 questions to evaluate new tech tools

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businessman looking at question mark sketch on the wallthey’re shiny, but will they be effective?

by jody grunden

whether you purchase a one-time software license or pay for a tool on a subscription basis, the cost of software can add up quickly. it’s necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of any new software program before you decide to buy it, and you need to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of the tools you’re using.

more: top tech choices for the virtual firm | creative perks for remote employees | 10 interview questions for unlocking true potential | toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how core values affect remote work culture | how ‘tech stacks’ can help you standardize | ready to be a virtual cfo?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

we have learned that we want to be sure we’re getting the most out of our software, that our tools remain the right fit for our needs and that they are cost-effective.
read more →

have you gauged your staff’s enthusiasm?

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you should be eager for this feedback, not dreading it.

by steven e. sacks

have you ever conducted a job satisfaction survey of your firm’s staff?

more: managing difficult personalities in the workplace | knowledge maintenance: gaining employee buy-in | how does your firm leverage its talent? | the lost art of the interview | the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | the holy grail: finding the right talent | the power of ‘real influence’ | stop wasting time in useless meetings | is your firm’s culture a magnet? | outsourcing the c-suite
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

every so often you should conduct a survey that asks anything ranging from clarity of purpose and level of commitment to flexibility and advancement. it costs nothing to do but will yield important anecdotal data to be addressed by senior leadership. you may find that staff wants more input on developing business or increased exposure to clients and customers.
read more →

top tech choices for the virtual firm

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why we choose what we choose.

by jody grunden

the tools that are used by a distributed firm with remote clients are going to vary greatly from those of a traditional brick-and-mortar firm.

more: creative perks for remote employees | traditional benefits for remote employees | the hidden cost of running a distributed company | how to develop your leadership team | 4 ways to bill clients | automation and the future of accounting | the only three metrics you need to measure staffers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

every tool we consider or use has to be cloud-based. nothing can be restricted to a single computer or location.
read more →

managing difficult personalities in the workplace

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angry boss in chair staring down at tiny businessman5 “usual suspects” and how to manage them.

by steven e. sacks

let’s admit it: not everyone in a cpa firm can be your cup of tea. this is because of the different experiences your co-workers have, their cultural differences, biases, personal agendas and of course, diverse personalities.

more: knowledge maintenance: gaining employee buy-in | why knowledge maintenance is key | retention starts with the hiring interview | the new way to handle exit interviews | who’ll quit next? | strengthen your firm’s screening practices | smart trust in the workplace | what aspiring accountants need to know | improve job satisfaction or it’ll cost your firm
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

and the challenges faced by these differences are not limited to senior leadership or those who function in a supervisory role. what types are the usual suspects?
read more →

knowledge maintenance: gaining employee buy-in

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smiling woman meeting with man in officethey’re going to leave. pick their brains first.

by steven e. sacks

i’ve discussed the importance of collecting and storing institutional knowledge in the event of employee illness, resignation, relocation and acquisition. not to be overlooked is to have the support of your employees to make this endeavor successful.

more: why knowledge maintenance is key | set your staff on the right course | how motivation is like bathing | be a talent magnet | make crap a badge of honor | the job interview: a make or break proposition | 10 elements to balancing shareholders’ needs
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

employees will want to know how it will personally benefit them, because after all, this is another function you have assigned them. you need a deft touch in explaining that documenting their experience and knowledge is not a “chore,” it is an integral component for preventing disruptions to operations during times of change – both anticipated and unanticipated.
read more →

creative perks for remote employees

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dog sleeping in home office as woman works at computer in backgroundeducation and tech stipends? why not?

by jody grunden

in addition to the more traditional benefits, we also offer a few creative perks that i think our employees really appreciate, including an education stipend and a technology stipend.

more: traditional benefits for remote employees | keeping the right people on the bus | how to run effective leadership team meetings | disc helps remote team work together effectively | 3 ways to keep client files safe from security threats | the only three metrics you need to measure staffers
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

education stipend

we believe that continuing education keeps our team members sharp and ahead of the game. one of our core values is “curiosity” because we want our employees to always be thinking about how we can improve our services, become more efficient and do things better. we want people to think outside the box because we’re not a typical accounting firm, nor do we ever want to be one.
read more →

why knowledge maintenance is key

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businesspeople discussing chartsdon’t let systems and processes leave with your employees.

by steven e. sacks

there are nearly 80 million baby boomers today, and this cohort ranging from ages 55 to 73 is projected by the u.s. census bureau to reach 83.7 million in the year 2050. by 2030, more than 20 percent of u.s. residents are projected to be aged 65 and over, compared with 13 percent in 2010 and 9.8 percent in 1970.

more: set your staff on the right course | how does your firm leverage its talent? | the lost art of the interview | the 5 keys to success in accounting careers | stop wasting time in useless meetings | is your firm’s culture a magnet?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

a large part of this growth is because of the aging of baby boomers (individuals born in the united states between mid-1946 and mid-1964), who began turning 65 in 2011 and are now driving growth at the older ages of the population. as one source in 2016 put this into perspective, every day, 10,000 people turn 65. there are more than personal financial issues at stake here.
read more →

traditional benefits for remote employees

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woman sitting outside with laptop and smartphoneis skimping worth the cost in loyalty?

by jody grunden

traditional benefits often include things that many brick-and-mortar office workers take for granted such as paid time off, health insurance and a retirement plan.

more: keeping the right people on the bus | 10 interview questions for unlocking true potential | toss the org chart for an accountability chart | how core values affect remote work culture
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

why do i say these are taken for granted? well, some distributed companies may hire independent contractors to cut down on their expenses when it comes to “frivolous” things like this, but we believe in building a great place to work, and to us that means offering the kind of benefits that make employees feel secure and cared for.
read more →