The accounting profession has rightly patted itself on the back for the speed and effectiveness with which, generally speaking, it pivoted to the remote work environment required by the COVID pandemic in the spring of 2020. But while many firms are treating remote work as a temporary inconvenience, the 2022 Best Firms to Work For are committed to letting staff choose where they work — and are giving them the support they need to be successful.
Surveys have shown that, while most of the American workforce views a hybrid work environment as a very important workplace option, many accounting firms are determined to bring their staff back into the office now that the pandemic seems to be waning. Not so the Best Firms, many of which have made their pandemic-driven policies permanent.
At Ohio-based HD Davis, for instance, "Everyone has the ability to work anytime and anywhere. This flexibility allows for parents to attend their kids' events, traveling and working in a time when you are most productive," the firm reported. "The company supplies the tools and resources necessary." Small wonder, then, that they not only made the Best Firms list, but were also No. 1 among Accounting Today's Best Firms for Women.
Meanwhile, at North Carolina-based Smith Leonard, the firm "continues to encourage everyone to work where they are most efficient — which means some people work from home to save commute time." To incentivize employees to come into the office to collaborate, though, they have added specific rooms dedicated to collaboration — as well as a game room.
And in California, Johanson & Yau reported, "Our brand new FlexFirst policy allows employees to work from anywhere, including hybrid and fully remote work arrangements."
Of course, allowing staff to choose where to work will only set them up to fail if they don't have the technology they need to do their jobs — a fact that is not lost on the Best Firms, which are putting their money where their mouths are when it comes to equipment.
At Georgia-based Warren Averett, which offers workplace flexibility at all levels and for all positions, "team members are provided with cutting-edge technology … which helps enable our employees to be fully functional whether they are working in the office or remotely."
And North Carolina's Bernard Robinson & Co. has its own Home Equipment Program: "Employees can request whatever equipment they need in order to perform their jobs from home, sign a contract and have their home office set up. After two years of signing the contract, no money is owed to BRC."
Many firms, naturally, kitted out their staff with the equipment they needed back in 2020 — but new needs are constantly popping up, which is why Virginia-based Kearney & Co. offered staff another $300 home office allotment: "This allotment can be used for additional equipment, furniture or supplies to supplement the home office."
Of course, not everyone was around in the spring of 2020 to benefit from firms' equipment largesse, so Florida-based Schellman offers a work-from-home allowance for new hires of up to $500, to make sure they have what they need to make remote work a viable option.
Giving staff the flexibility they want — and the equipment and financial support they need to turn that flexibility into a reality — will go a long way toward making sure they stay with your firm, even if they're not actually in your office.
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