Strategic Plans Can Help CPA Firms Cope with Staffing Shortages

Accounting firm consultant Kristen Rampe has released a new report on how CPA firms can address the staffing shortage afflicting so many firms today.

The report is the first in a series from CPA Trendlines and Kristen Rampe Consulting. The initial report, Two Ways Your Strategic Plan Can Reduce Turnover, examines how firms can do a better job of retaining qualified staff. According to Rampe, 48 percent of accounting firm staffers said they would consider switching firms. She believes that one way firms can convince staffers to stick with them is by demonstrating they have a strategic plan in place.

“Preliminary data shows 59 percent of flight-risk staff have no idea what their firm’s strategic plan is,” said Rampe.  “Contrast that with the 17 percent of staff who are not seeking a new position at all.”

The rest of the series will explore related issues including job satisfaction and career plans, along with the management and leadership strategies that CPA firms can use to recruit, retain and develop their staff.