Work smarter, enjoy more, even during busy season

“How can our firm say goodbye to overtime and excess workload? There must be a better way.”

Today’s talent wants to be part of a compelling new story with more manageable workloads, more interesting work, and clearer opportunities for advancement, according to the Accounting Talent Strategy Report published by the National Pipeline Advisory Group. As the profession seeks new ways forward, a growing number of practices are revisiting the topic of reducing hours and workload.

If this is a top priority for your firm and you are unsure where to start, this easy-to-follow roadmap is for you. Use it as a guide to transform your practice. You can also use the additional guidance found throughout the PCPS Transforming Your Business Model resources.

Consider your initiative to reduce overtime as a professional reboot

Your initiative should be centered around a balanced, sustainable, and future-focused vision, filled with opportunities to work smarter and engage talent at their highest potential. Bringing your vision to life involves various strategies that align well with the firm’s broader objectives and culture. One successful approach involves narrowing the firm’s client base and the services it provides. It is all about rethinking how your team can make the most significant impact on the clients you enjoy working with, not only at peak times but throughout the year.

Four-step action plan

Break your initiative into four key segments. Reassess, Refocus, Reengage, and Refine. This approach enables you to concentrate on related assignments necessary to reach your desired destination.

This chart outlines sample actions during each segment.

Below is a more detailed explanation.

Reassess

Begin by conducting research within your firm and networking groups for insight to reduce hours and workload.

Take a data-driven look at your firm’s work patterns

Your firm’s data can tell a valuable story about how your firm balances workload and overtime. A better understanding of this data will help you make smarter decisions about how to rebalance them by identifying specific problem areas, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Review KPIs such as hours, productivity, and realization. Segment them by practice areas and industries. Break them down by level, such as staff, managers, and partners. Look at sick days, vacation, and turnover rates. Compare peak times and regular times.

• How much overtime does your team clock during busy season? Outside busy season?

• Where are the most significant problem areas during peak times? Off-peak?

• Are professionals using their allocated vacation time?
  
  

Invite your team to participate in the discussion about reducing hours and workload

Employee feedback is invaluable for finding better ways to engage your team. Replace one-way top-down presentations with open dialogues where everyone can share their voice. This step is crucial because it allows each person to express their experiences and suggest improvements. Understand how changes might affect them. Discuss opportunities for professional growth and what that entails. While the ultimate objective can be compelling, the path to get there can bring uncertainty. Identify what your colleagues fear about making changes. Help them feel heard by listening carefully.

• How could this change impact you personally and professionally?

• Are there new areas of interest or opportunities in the firm you would like to explore?

• What do you fear in making this change?
  

Learn from trailblazers

Gain insight into effective strategies and best practices by reaching out to leaders who have successfully reduced hours and workload in their firms. Connect with or join a networking group, state association, international association, or others you know to learn what it truly takes to succeed. Follow these changemakers on social media and read their newsletters and blogs for insights to create a more balanced firm.

• How did your firm approach the initiative, and what were the keys to success?

• How long did the initiative take?

• Would you recommend retaining an outside advisor or tackling it alone?

What lessons did you learn – what would you do differently?

Refocus

Now, it is time to clarify where you want to go and how you plan to get there.

Identify a change champion

Name a person to oversee the initiative. Focus on someone who is open to new approaches and can commit the time and energy to bring it to life. For larger firms, identify a task force from different generations and practice areas, such as tax, compliance, and CAS.

• Who will you select to lead the initiative?

• Are they willing to commit the time and energy to see the project from start to completion?

• Will they be a good steward of the initiative?
  

Create a clear vision - identify how you will get there

Define what success will look like. For example, set a cap of 45 hours during March through April and eliminate overtime outside of busy season. Break it into manageable milestones to keep you on track. In year one, reduce total team hours in Q1 by X. In year two, reduce total team hours in Q1 by X. In year three, reduce total team hours in Q1 by X. Include clear parameters, such as not requiring work past 6:00 pm and on Saturdays outside of busy season.

• What is the overall objective for the firm’s initiative?

• What milestones are you working toward?

• What is the timeline for this initiative and each milestone?
  

Reimagine your client base and service offerings

Use this opportunity to reevaluate the types of clients you want to serve. Start by reviewing the firm’s ideal client definition to make sure it still fits into your future vision. For example, small businesses with revenues between $X and $X that the firm provides tax returns and monthly CAS services for. Narrowing your focus can create more opportunities for team members to concentrate on higher-value assignments for clients they enjoy. Greater attention on “right-sized” clients can lead to more loyal and appreciative clients who are willing to pay for value-added services throughout the year.

• How do you define the firm’s ideal client?

• Which services do you want to focus on? Which ones do you want to eliminate?

• Which clients fit the firm’s ideal client profile – which ones do you need to cull?

• How will you cull your clients? What is your timeframe?
  

Here are PCPS tools you can use to identify your ideal client profile and evaluate clients:

• PCPS Client Evaluation Tool helps you identify clients who deserve more of your time and attention.

• PCPS Good Fit Client Tool aids you in determining the qualities that make a client a good fit for your firm.

• PCPS 5 Step Client Culling Process and PCPS Client Base Right-sizing Checklist guide you through the process of culling clients.

• PCPS Sample Disengagement Letter can be used to professionally and formally terminate client relationships.
  
  

Demonstrate the firm’s commitment to technology by automating repetitive tasks

Younger generations expect their employers to be technology-forward. Automating tedious, time-consuming tasks, such as recurring data entry, client onboarding, and status updates, is a good way to start. In addition to providing greater efficiency and consistency, automation frees up team members to work on more complex, higher-impact assignments for a better employee experience and greater job satisfaction. Today’s cloud-based programs, such as Microsoft Power Automate and Zapier, make automation possible without needing programming skills. Begin by identifying repetitive tasks that create pain points and bottlenecks during busy season. Focus on tasks that require the most time, cause the most frustration, and are the easiest to automate. Reach out to your peer firms to learn how they approached automation.

• What repetitive tasks create the biggest bottlenecks during busy season?

• What one or two tasks cause the most trouble and require the most time?

• Are the internal processes for these tasks clear and well defined?
  

Read this PCPS Digitally Speaking article to learn more about how you can build automation into your firm. Attend the Digital CPA Conference for practical new ways to leverage the latest technology and make your firm more efficient.

Reengage

Now it is time to involve your team in rolling out the strategy.

Create an internal communications plan
Your goal is to deliver a clear, consistent message. Before introducing the new initiative to the firm, determine what you want to say and how you want to say it. Explain how it will work, the timing, and the strategy behind it. Help each person understand what it means to them. Support your communications by creating a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document.

• What is the new initiative and what is behind it?

• What does this mean for your staff?

• What does this mean for your clients?
  

Unite your team around a shared vision – align with individual roles
Making sustainable changes to the firm, such as new ways of working and serving clients, goes beyond operational fixes. It requires engaging your employees. Get your team on board by helping them see this from their perspective. Discuss how this will enable them to be involved in more fulfilling and higher-level work. Talk about how this will create opportunities for younger talent to advance into more rewarding and high-impact roles earlier in their careers.

• How will you rally your team around a new shared vision?

• How will you discuss this new initiative in terms of what it means to them and how it aligns with their role?

• How will you leverage the group’s collective energy to propel firm plans?
  
  Visit the PCPS Talent Trend Toolkit for more tips and resources to help you transition, reset, and activate the workforce to align with firm goals and employee expectations.
  

Offer coaching and training to support new approaches

To prepare your staff for expanded or different responsibilities related to the new initiative, it is crucial to review the firm’s training and coaching lineup. For younger professionals expected to take on client-facing roles, offer training and coaching to help prepare them. For professionals transitioning into advisory roles, consider a mix of classes and discussions with team members who currently serve in these types of roles. For team members expected to be involved in automation, for instance, provide the appropriate training to bring them up to speed.

• What training is needed to prepare staff for expanded or alternative roles?

• What types of training and coaching would your team like to receive?

• How can you incorporate real-life experiences into your training lineup?

Refine

This step involves tracking results, celebrating successes, and making adjustments along the way.

Measure results – refine as needed
Track key performance indicators throughout the process. Use quantifiable measures to evaluate whether your actions are achieving desired objectives. Identify specific KPIs around workload and overtime, such as realization rates, staff hours, overtime frequency, and client satisfaction. This data will help you zero in on specifics that may need modification as you move forward.

• Are you on track in achieving goals?

• What signs of success is the firm experiencing?

• Are there areas that need to be modified?
  

Celebrate milestones - share success stories and include them in your recruiting
Reaching milestones is a crucial part of your journey because they demonstrate progress toward your goals. Make it a priority to celebrate them with your team. Gather regularly to recognize what you have accomplished together. For example, celebrate small successes every 30-60 days. Pick a fun theme for your gatherings that fits your culture and interests, such as a champions breakfast or a milestone mixer. Encourage everyone to share their stories during your gatherings. Stories connect people, highlight positive behavior, boost engagement, and keep you moving forward. Use these new stories in your recruiting activities so the next generation of talent learns about the exciting things happening in your firm.

• How will you celebrate success throughout the initiative?

• How will you recognize your team’s efforts and contributions?

• How can you incorporate success stories from this new initiative into recruiting?

Keys to success

Before flipping the switch to jumpstart the reboot, consider these tips. View your initiative as a journey. It is okay to take it in stages. Fortunately, there are many ways to succeed. Do what works best for your firm, its personality, and culture. The most crucial step is the first one – commit to getting started. Purposeful action now can lead to less overtime and more freedom to do what you enjoy during your next busy season and beyond.

Additional resources

There are many additional tools and resources you can put to work right away.

• Use this toolkit to help you navigate a changing profession - PCPS Transforming Your Business Model.

• Read this article to learn how this firm cut overtime during busy season - How this firm made 40 the new standard for the 70+ hour week.

• Tune in to this podcast for more tips to reduce your firm’s workweek and add advisory services - Business Model Transformation with SJHL’s Chet Buchman.