staff

survey: top 10 ways firms tutor top talent

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no. 1 method: ‘give them challenging assignments.”

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research

it may sound harsh to the uninitiated, but the most common way for firms to turn talented staffers into future managers and leaders is to make their lives a little more difficult, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 multi-year study.

the questionnaire for “talent strategies: how to identify and develop professionals for management and leadership responsibilities” remains online and open as 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 continues to collect data and refine its analysis.  read more →

mismanaging project management

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and a

by ed mendlowitz
101 questions and answers

question: i assigned four projects to a manager who reassigned them to a staff 2 person and i gave a date when they were needed that was three weeks away.  when i asked about the progress after two weeks, i was told that nothing was near completion.  now there is a super rush with much stress. how could this situation have been avoided?

response: first off – you are to blame. you did not work with the manager to see how she would assign the work and to whom.  read more →

new surge in wages, hours, hiring

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tax, accounting and bookkeeping employment, through february 2014

the u.s. tax, accounting and bookkeeping industries are turning out to be one of the brightest spots in the nation’s economy, adding jobs faster than all but a handful of sectors, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.

here 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa segments of the industry.
  • average hourly wages for key segments.
  • typical hours worked per week.
  • and trends concerning women in the accounting workforce. read more →

2014 roundtable: the baby boomers take control

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2014 top trends logo vf
click for the full rosenberg map survey

as one generation ages out, a new one reshapes the future of the profession.

see the complete 2014 roundtable

by jennifer wilson
convergence coaching

analysis

without a doubt, succession issues permeate all aspects of the firms we’re encountering.

these include identifying and developing successors — especially rainmakers and practice leaders, ensuring that the buy/sell makes sense and can be sustained over time, determining retirement timing and issues, establishing and executing transition plans, communicating plans, recruiting new talent to backfill positions and exploring new ways to govern the firm to give more voice to those who will be taking over. succession implications are far-reaching and can be consuming. read more →

referral fee to an employee

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and aby ed mendlowitz
“tax season opportunity guide“

question: i got a new client because of one of my employees. do i have to give her anything?

response: wrong attitude! you should want to give her something. you should be happy that a staff person was able to bring in business.

many firms offer referral fees, bonuses or commissions. i suggest paying 10% of collections for five years, as long as the employee continues to work for you.

read more →

growth and change in the cpa workforce

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卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 finds tight cost controls, slow wage increases and an influx of women workers.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

lifted by a steadily recovering economy and aggressive retooling, the nation’s cpa firms are adding staff at a 2.3% annualized rate, the strongest advance in a year, according to a new 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 study. but hours are unpredictable, wage growth is stalled and firms are trading higher-paid professionals for cheaper labor.

cpa firm employment trends, via 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the study goes on to report new data, trends and analysis regarding:

– the total cpa firm workforce
– leverage ratios
– productivity efforts
– cost controls
– wages and hours
– women in the workforce

read more →

survey report: busy season 2014 outlook

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click to enlarge
click to enlarge

executive summary

by rick telberg
cpa trendlines

most tax practitioners across the nation are preparing for the 2014 busy season with the hoping it can’t possibly be as bad as last year’s “worst tax season ever,” according to exclusive 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 polling.

about 61% of accountants today expect at least a “somewhat” or even “much” better season this year, according to the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 busy season barometer, a tracking poll now approaching its 11th year. some 26% expect no change from last year, and 13% are bracing for “somewhat worse” or “much worse.”

in the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 special report, responses and comments from more than 400 practitioners surveyed have been tabulated and analyzed. key findings:

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pro member download
  • economic outlook for firms, clients, owners, and the nation in general.
  • practitioners’ forecasts for the upcoming season, compared with the forecasts from the same time a year ago and with 2013 actuals.
  • factors contributing to positive outlooks and factors contributing to negative outlooks.
  • top 10 challenges and concerns to prepare for and examples of how some practitioners are doing so
  • projections for key busy season metrics, including revenue, profit, client counts, extensions, revenue per client, and profit per client; compared with 2013 actuals and year-ago forecasts
  • the four key strategies shared by most practitioners with positive outlooks
  • the four important lessons learned from last year’s “worst tax season ever.”
  • verbatim comments from hundreds of practitioners.

more

read more →

12 reasons cpa firm staff meetings are a waste of time

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four quick fixes and a magic bullet.

by august aquila

the fact of the situation is that too much time is wasted in meetings that don’t accomplish anything. we meet, we talk and we leave. no one takes minutes, there is no follow-up and we are all glad that another meeting is over. don’t get me wrong; i am not a meeting basher. a meeting can be an effective way to make sure you are on course to achieve firm and departmental objectives and use your “bully pulpit power” as the managing partner. read more →

accounting firms launch new war for talent

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firms are hiring, and many staffers are thinking about a job change.
get more details, join the survey.

by rick telberg
卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

now five years since the banking crash that forced record layoffs at tax and accounting firms, new survey results from 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research show intensifying competition for talent, with more than 42% of accountants reporting that their firms are hiring and about half of all staffers ready to make a move.

chris hatcher
chris hatcher

“there’s a labor shortage out there,” according to chris hatcher, a partner at louisville, ky., baldwin cpas. “finding good talent is hard.” hatcher says baldwin cpas is looking for professionals with ambition, which he defines as an “owners  mentality.”

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

– reports the percentage of firms hiring, cutting or holding steady on headcount in the next six to 12 months;
– gathers comment from a representative sample of professionals on key economic and business trends; and
– analyzes latent discontent in the ranks of staffers,
– propensity to seek a job change, and
– overall confidence in the job market. read more →