The annual summer outing and the traditional post-tax-season lunch or dinner are time-honored opportunities to create warm memories, encourage staff camaraderie, and recognize everyone's hard work — but they're not exactly information-rich environments.
While it's all too common for companies of all kinds to keep their employees in the dark about the state of the business — breeding rumors, fear and worse — the top workplaces in the accounting profession take the opposite approach, sharing plenty of information (though not, of course, every little detail) about the present circumstances and future prospects of the firm to keep staff engaged and optimistic.
Many of the Best Firms to Work For take an attitude similar to that of Minnesota's Global Tax Network: "GTN keeps employees informed on what is happening within the firm and future expectations, as much as they can," the firm reported. "This transparency, especially during the pandemic, was greatly appreciated."
Of course, the fast-changing environment of the pandemic forced many firms to significantly increase their communication with staff, leading to an explosion of firmwide emails, regular updates from managing partners, virtual town halls and all-hands meetings, and much more, all aimed at keeping staff informed in confusing times. And to their credit, many firms have maintained that high level of communication.
The Best Firms, though, take it to a whole new level. Delaware's Faw Casson, for instance, hosts annual "State of the Firm" meetings with the entire firm to keep staff informed and engaged.
A growing number of other firms are picking up the old idea of the partner retreat and opening up the event to all of their employees. GTN, for instance, hosts an annual company retreat to celebrate everyone's accomplishments, connect as a firm, and strengthen employee relationships, while at Oklahoma's Wymer Brownlee Wealth Strategies, "We host a two-day company 'Advance' retreat to recap our successes and focus on the upcoming year."
And some firms really go all out with their retreats. For Maryland-based Bormel, Grice & Huyett's annual company retreat, "Our entire staff goes offsite for two nights, usually at an ocean or mountain location, for meetings and fun social activities."
"Our retreats are hosted on the Big Island," reported Hawaii Accounting, "and are all-expenses-paid. We experience exciting excursions, team-building activities, motivational speeches, local Hawaiian entertainment and meals by a private chef."
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