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Greetings!
Welcome
to Point of Action LLC's quarterly online newsletter for CPA firm leaders
involved in staff training and development.
In this
issue, we discuss the increasingly popular concept of
"Re-Recruiting," or identifying creative ways to retain and
develop your talented professionals.
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Re-Recruiting Quiz
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Think about your most valued staff members (both
junior-level and senior-level staff) when answering the questions below.
How many of these questions can you confidently answer "Yes"
to? If the answer is most of them, then you already have a foundation in
your firm to expand your current re-recruiting practices. If you
discovered several "No" or "Not Really" answers, then
you may want to begin the process of analyzing your existing Learning
& Development practices and launch a firm-wide re-recruiting effort.
1. Do
you know why this staff person stays at your firm?
2. Do you know this staff person's primary career goal?
3. Are you personally involved in helping this staff person achieve
his/her career goals?
4. Does this staff person receive periodic performance evaluations and
performance feedback?
5. Does this staff person receive over 65 hours of high- quality CPE per
year?
6. Does this staff person work with supportive supervisors who are
actively involved in assisting with his/her professional development?
7. Does this staff person have a clear understanding of the career
progression and increased responsibilities/rewards at your firm?
8. Does this staff person work on a variety of client engagements?
9. Is this staff person assigned a variety of tasks that stretch his/her
current experience level (e.g., not working on the same audit areas each
time)?
10. Is this staff person involved in Firm activities, such as recruiting,
marketing/business development, training, mentoring, etc.?
11. Does this staff person have an adequate work/life balance?
12. Are you aware of this staff person's interests outside of work?
13. Is this staff person provided opportunities to interact with clients,
both formally and informally?
14. Do you know what motivates this staff person?
15. Does this staff person have a positive, enthusiastic attitude about
work?
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Easy Re-Recruiting Strategies
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 THINGS YOU CAN
DO TODAY:
1. Solicit periodic feedback from staff on Firm culture, strengths, and
areas for improvement.
2. Host monthly staff meetings (ideally by staff level) to address staff
questions and concerns.
3. Consider implementing a "Friday Luncheon Series" where the
Managing Partner (and other head Partners as appropriate), take 2 to 3
staff members to lunch.
4. Say "Thank You!" When was the last time you thanked your
hard-working staff members for their commitment to your firm? Send a
simple thank you e- mail, or, even better, a hand-written note. Consider
gift certificates and other small tokens of appreciation for outstanding
performance and commitment.
5. Plan a CPE program that will help supervisors gain skills in staff
development and on-the-job performance coaching.
THINGS
YOU CAN DO THIS YEAR:
1. Create a Professional Competency Roadmap for your firm, detailing the
progression of performance expectations and responsibilities at each
professional level (e.g., Staff, Senior, Manager, Partner).
2. Align performance evaluation forms and policies with the Professional
Competency Roadmap.
3. Ensure staff receive formal, verbal and written, performance feedback
at least twice per year and, ideally, after each substantive engagement.
Staff should also participate in semi-annual Career Advising sessions,
focused on helping staff to set and monitor career goals.
4. Create a Strategic Training Plan, linked to your Professional
Competency Roadmap, which provides more than 65 hours of both technical
and non-technical CPE per person per year.
5. Involve Partners, Managers and Seniors/Supervisors in developing and
delivering firm-sponsored training.
6. Consider implementing a firm-wide Mentoring Program, where Staff
select Seniors, Seniors select Managers, and Managers select Partners to
serve as mentors. Mentor relationships should be informal and
confidential, and mentors should never be involved in delivering formal
performance feedback (with the exception of engagement-specific
feedback). Consider implementing an informal monitoring system to ensure
that Mentoring meetings are occurring, and provide a small budget for
Mentoring meetings (e.g., $30 per meeting).
7. Schedule periodic social events, such as a post- busy season dinner
and reception, a summer retreat and a holiday party. Consider involving
significant others and families where possible.
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Let Us Help!
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If you are considering launching a new Learning &
Development function, or are looking for ways to re- recruit your current
staff members, please contact us for some assistance and direction. We'd
be happy to help you through this important, and sometimes challenging,
process.
Contact Us... »
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Accountants Global Network (AGN) Conference
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Point
of Action will be speaking further about "Re- Recruiting
Strategies" at the Accountants Global Network (AGN) Annual North
American Regional Meeting in Philadelphia later this month.
If you
would like more information about the concepts and content we will be
presenting, please contact us.
AGN International »
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Re-Recruiting Defined
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When was the last time you felt truly valued professionally?
For
most of us, the times we feel most wanted and valued professionally are
when we are being recruited to accept another job offer. We are welcomed
into the interview process, told about the exciting career opportunities
at another workplace, taken to lunch with enthusiastic employees, and
convinced that our professional future is brightest at a new firm. Too
often, during the recruiting process is the first and last time we feel
truly valued.
In
today's strongly competitive market for talented accounting
professionals, we need to be recruiting employees before, during and
after they join our firms.
The
remaining articles in this issue provide simple strategies and
thought-provoking questions to help you to identify ways to re-recruit
your staff and show them how truly valuable they are to your firm.
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