{"id":131537,"date":"2024-09-25t12:00:45","date_gmt":"2024-09-25t16:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=131537"},"modified":"2024-10-25t13:01:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25t17:01:10","slug":"fineberg-crabtree-berkowitz-partners-your-middle-managers-are-getting-squeezed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2024\/09\/25\/fineberg-crabtree-berkowitz-partners-your-middle-managers-are-getting-squeezed\/","title":{"rendered":"partners: your middle managers are getting squeezed"},"content":{"rendered":"

staff just don\u2019t feel comfortable asking for things that help their mental and physical well-being.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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client pressure:<\/strong> 84 percent can work from home at least sometimes. however, only 44 percent say the firm has their back with difficult clients.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

by seth fineberg
\naccountants forward<\/em><\/p>\n

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crabtree<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

more<\/strong> staffing here<\/a> | more<\/strong> surveys and research here<\/a> | more<\/strong> seth fineberg here<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201ceverything 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.\u201d he added, \u201cwhen you have a good variety of work to do and find you enjoy that work, you won\u2019t mind working the extra hours at times either.\u201d<\/p>\n

the survey is part of a larger initiative to determine why so many accountants are leaving the profession and how firm leaders can improve retention, prevent burnout and increase overall job satisfaction. the first phase of the survey explored how accountants work and what drives their career satisfaction through our accountants annual professional satisfaction survey.<\/p>\n

\u201cwhile there have been countless efforts to take the pulse of the accounting profession and to determine what\u2019s causing the talent pipeline shortage, we wanted to look at it, not like recruiters and hr professionals, but like insurers and risk management professionals,\u201d says berkowitz, who helped compile and analyze the data collected in the new survey. \u201cin other words, could we use predictive modeling to isolate segments of the cpa profession most likely to leave and help firms identify them before they enter the \u2019high risk\u2019 stages of their career?\u201d<\/p>\n

the first of the aforementioned standout findings showed that directors\/senior managers and manager-level staff were the accountants least satisfied with their careers overall, with only 25 percent and 17 percent, respectively, saying they felt \u201chighly satisfied\u201d in the work. what also stood out was why they felt this way, and it\u2019s not likely what you think.<\/p>\n

typically, people think of accountants as overworked since they tend to work many hours, particularly during busy times of the year. nearly half (45 percent) of survey respondents say they work 60 hours a week or more during peak times of the year. however, we were surprised to learn that two-thirds of respondents (65 percent) say they are \u201chighly satisfied\u201d with the work they chose to do despite working long hours. conversely, most those who didn\u2019t enjoy their work indicated as much despite working fewer hours (under 40 per week).<\/p>\n

another common narrative is that accountants are underpaid compared to their peers in comparable careers. while other surveys show this may be the case, our survey found that only one-third of accountants (31 percent) felt underpaid. so, what is keeping the aforementioned staff unsatisfied? the drivers tend to fall into one of three buckets:<\/p>\n

lack of support<\/strong><\/p>\n

difficult clients greatly affect employee dissatisfaction and regularly increase stress levels. accountants inherently have a difficult time saying \u201cno\u201d and often end up with what we refer to as \u201cc\u201d and \u201cd\u201d level clients. you know, the ones that tend to take up the majority of your time but contribute to a nominal amount of your firm\u2019s revenue?<\/p>\n

we asked a few questions about how firms support their staff in various ways, particularly when it comes to difficult clients, and the results were eye-opening.<\/p>\n