Art of Accounting: 40-year-old staff handbook

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors.

I am older than most of the people that write about practice management. I also have a long history of experience with much of it being successful. If I wanted to show you how successful, you would pass it off as an old guy bragging, so I don’t usually tell more than what I think I need to tell to get my points across. 

Anyway, if you have been reading my weekly columns for these past eight-plus years, you will know that I feel strongly about a few things, one being staff training and retention. One of the things that puzzles me is that I think I have such clear, logical methods, but they are generally not being followed. My ideas and experiences have been fully documented by no less than an interview in The Wall Street Journal in 1981, saying that I think the biggest problem in public accounting is staff training and retention. Many owners and partners today say that is a major problem holding them back. However, when I speak with them, I see they are treating their staff in a continuing worse way.

A few weeks ago, while I was cleaning out old papers, I came across a staff handbook I wrote in 1982. I had used an artist to illustrate it to encourage my staff to read it and hopefully act accordingly. I did many other things, and this was but one of my efforts. I would say it contributed to my success since we had very low turnover and I am extremely proud of the success many of the entry-level staff who started with me had and still have. 

I reread it and believe everything in this eight-page illustrated staff handbook is perfectly valid today — with no change necessary whatsoever. I will gladly email you a copy if you request it at GoodiesFromEd@withum.com and write as the subject: "Staff Handbook." You can copy or adapt it any way you want with my blessing. This was written in 1982 and is not “Old School,” but “Current School” or “Forward-Thinking School” (or perhaps just plain good business.)

In 1982, we hired a law student, Scott Gutterson, to do tax research on a book I was writing, as well as to assist in client research projects. His girlfriend, Debbie, was a budding illustrator and she drew the pictures. I called Scott when I found the handbook and he updated me on his career, which was extremely successful. He is now retired with one of his sons running his law and tax practice. He married Debbie a year later and they have just celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. Debbie Gutterson today is a full-fledged successful and popular artist/painter living in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Another tidbit is that I sent a copy of the handbook to The CPA Journal, which had a practice management column. The handbook was mentioned, saying we would mail a copy to anyone requesting it for $2.00 to cover the postage and handling. We got over 2,000 requests and ended up covering our costs for the handbook. How about that?

Do not hesitate to contact me at emendlowitz@withum.com with your practice management questions or about engagements you might not be able to perform.

Edward Mendlowitz, CPA, is partner at WithumSmith+Brown, PC, CPAs. He is on the Accounting Today Top 100 Influential People list. He is the author of 24 books, including “How to Review Tax Returns,” co-written with Andrew D. Mendlowitz, and “Managing Your Tax Season, Third Edition.” He also writes a twice-a-week blog addressing issues that clients have at www.partners-network.com along with the Pay-Less-Tax Man blog for Bottom Line. He is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Fairleigh Dickinson University teaching end user applications of financial statements. Art of Accounting is a continuing series where he shares autobiographical experiences with tips that he hopes can be adopted by his colleagues. He welcomes practice management questions and can be reached at (732) 743-4582 or emendlowitz@withum.com.