Ever since women and Gen Y-era CPAs began swelling the ranks of public accounting firms, senior partners have been getting an earful about the importance of accommodating their new cohort's varying career goals, motivations and lifestyle preferences.

Initially, most firms run by Baby Boomers responded only with lip service - if at all. Firms would proclaim themselves "family-friendly," yet senior partners maintained their workaholic patterns, conveying the clear message that the only career track to partner (or even to remain employed at all) was to work relentlessly.

And the sharp economic downturn that began in 2008, resulting in reduced manpower needs at many firms, has diverted some "old school" managing partners' focus away from the structural reforms and creative human resource strategies required for attracting and retaining new talent.

But that reprieve will not endure, experts warn. Moreover, the fact that some CPAs are working harder today due to slimmed-down staffs can create greater urgency for the kinds of alternative job structures and career paths that younger accountants have been clamoring for. In other words, the future is knocking ever more loudly at the front door.

Observations about post-Boomer generations' work ethic are familiar, but bear repeating for their implications for the future. "They want more freedom to work when and where they want," said Boomer Consulting chief operating officer Sandra Wiley. Heretofore, that desire has been a hard sell for Baby Boomer-generation partners, she added, "because they want to have them right there, where they can watch them."

And in some cases, they should be watching them, she conceded. "Some people can work productively from home or the library, but for others, it's a terrible thing."

Thus, granting younger accountants' desire for work flexibility will require either that firms beef up their HR departments, or, better still, provide appropriate training to supervisors so that they can ensure that younger CPAs' productivity is enhanced, not diminished, by their flexibility demands.

Wiley believes that strong training and HR functions will be hallmarks of the firms of the future.

NOT YOUR FATHER'S MOTIVATORS

One common obstacle to firms' evolution to a management model that will allow them to flourish in the future is an assumption by senior partners that the "high-potentials" on their staffs are spurred on by the same things that motivate them. "Partners believe they want more money, but when you ask the high-potentials, what they say they want is learning development opportunities and getting on 'cool' assignments," says Next Generation Consulting founder Rebecca Ryan.

The fact that compensation for senior partners skyrocketed in the post-Enron period leading up to the 2008 recession has had a downside, Ryan explained. "It's taking more brain-share among the leaders figuring out how to award it, when they instead should be more focused on understanding the motivations and aspirations of younger CPAs - both those on their staffs and prospective recruits."

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