when salaries are tight, corporate culture becomes competitive differentiator. by rick telberg the days of concierge service and back rubs for accounting staffers may be over. but has building the so-called “great place to work” fallen by the wayside as … continued
thanks to the economic bust, the staffing crisis for cpa firms seems to have evaporated. so here’s the question: does creating a “great place to work” still mean anything these days? richard g. rinehart grant partners llc without a doubt, … continued
if you think you’re immune, think again. the harvard business review has listed the top 10 fatal flaws that derail business leaders. while some may seem obvious, the study revealed something else about ineffective leaders that may surprise you: the … continued
gt joins big four on top 100 list of best places to work after graduation. among business majors at 345 u.s. universities, google ranked highest as an attractive place to start a career, followed, in second place, by ernst & … continued
key morale indicator falls to 15-year low. while the economy is slowly recovering, a new analysis by hewitt associates shows employee engagement and morale in the workplace are not. the data show tax, accounting and finance organizations the importance of … continued
third year in a row for the listing.
to qualify, companies had to be public or privately held u.s. accounting firms with at least 15 employees, according to accounting today. firms underwent a two-part survey process, the first part evaluating workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics; and the second surveying employees. best companies group managed the overall registration, survey and analysis process, and determined the final rankings.
the 2010 best accounting firms to work for, the list of the top 100:
top 5: deloitte, pwc, rothstein kass, marcum, and dixon hughes.
this year, vault said, firm culture, as opposed to prestige, emerged as the most important determining factor. in fact, 36% of all accounting professionals surveyed said firm culture was most important, while only 11% cited prestige as most important. the other top factors cited by survey respondents were: lifestyle/work-balance (14%), location (13%), compensation (5%) and training opportunities (also 5%).
making partner in an accounting firm is not what it used to be.
by rick telberg
traditionally, becoming a partner in a cpa firm meant the end of a long, hard slog of grunt work and extended hours. but in today’s competitive environment, making partner is only the beginning of a new chapter of risks and challenges. and the work isn’t getting any easier.
today’s top cpa firm leaders are looking for new ways of building successful, enduring organizations. according to accounting firm management consultant august aquila, the culture of collegiality that gave way to a culture of entitlement is giving way to a new culture of performance and accountability.
“the lack of accountability can have a real impact on a firm’s profits,” aquila says. and with today’s shortage of high-level talent, new pressures to produce value for clients, and a white-knuckled squeeze on profits, holding leaders accountable has rarely been more critical to survival and success.
“but accountability is hard to implement,” aquila says, leading firms to make some common mistakes, like turning it into a checklist, or simply logging more information about evermore-minute activities.
how does your workplace compare? nearly two-thirds of working americans seriously doubt they’ll ever be able to retire. and while they are satisfied with their work, many fear taking time off from their jobs and feel disconnected from their companies, … continued
expect a new hiring crisis.
one in five junior staffers plan to leave their accounting firm by the end of the year, according to a startling new survey.
and, of those, about 75% plan to quit public accounting completely, significantly worse than last year’s 65% loss rate.
the data comes from the latest issue of ioma’s partner’s report (subscribe here) which reports the results of a survey of more than 2,000 employees of cpa firms, conducted as part of consulting magazine’s 2010 best firms to work for survey.
in addition, the average anticipated tenure for a junior employee is slipping — to just 3.9 years, a decline from the year-ago 4.1.
the new york society of cpas asked and members answered. reflecting on my last 24 years as a cpa tax practitioner, i’ve received a lot of advice. still, the best advice i’ve gotten takes the form of a quote: “fail … continued
technical skills alone aren’t enough.
by rick telberg
rarely has leadership-level talent been so important to the cpa profession and yet, perhaps, so difficult to find.
“technical knowledge used to be the only thing a firm really needed,” says rex gatto, a ph.d. in organizational psychology and a personnel consultant to cpa firms.
“but now you have to have somebody who can communicate, mentor and coach,” he says. “someone who knows how to build a team and a succession plan and work with others to make it happen.”
litmus test: do you believe you can achieve more together than individually?
by august aquila
aquilaadvisors.com
everyone knows that partner unity is one of the keys for success. and we know the benefits of having greater partner unity than the next firm – better client service, less employee turnover, superior profitability.
the problem than many firms face is this – they don’t know how to create partner unity.
first, let’s define what partner unity is not.
now, let’s define what unity is. read more →