CPA_Practice_Advisor_November_2020 - 5

THE LEADERSHIP ADVISOR

REMOVING THE FEAR
FROM LONG-TERM REMOTE WORK
AMY VETTER, CPA.CITP, CGMA

Mindful Technologist &
Keynote Speaker
@AmyVetterCPA

Like so much else in our lives,
opinions about remote work have
shifted dramatically over the
course of 2020. In January, many
business owners would've told
you a work-from-home system
would've been " impossible " for
them. Many of those same people
have now transitioned to a remote
setup for the foreseeable future.
With the possibility of a full return
to the office still a long way off in
many places, though, a different
set of fears has crept in.
If you're a firm owner or a
member of a leadership team,
you're probably starting to worry
about the long-term ramifications
of everyone working from home.
While trepidation is warranted, it
shouldn't be overblown. Like the
monsters in horror movies, your
fears about remote work are much
less scary when you face them
head on. Provided you plan for the
future, the following sources of
distress won't be a problem for you.

FEAR: YOUR OFFICE WILL
NEVER BE OPEN AGAIN.
As we prepare for winter, with the
possibility of more stringent shutdowns on the horizon, you may
wonder if office culture is simply
a thing of the past. Companies like
Twitter and Facebook are making
working from home a permanent

WITH IT BEING Halloween season, it's the perfect time to reflect on
what has been quite a scary year. The coronavirus pandemic and
our collective response to it has shuttered thousands of businesses,
threatened the existence of countless others, and radically changed
how we all work and live our lives. With so many bumps in the
road, it's understandable to be fearful. However, with so much to
be legitimately worried about, dealing with the possibility of remote
work being here to stay shouldn't be cause for anxiety.
option, and others will surely follow suit. But allowing for flexible
schedules isn't the same thing as
forcing people to stay home.
When it becomes safe to return
to work en masse, commercial real
estate will look different, but those
differences will mostly benefit firm
owners. You can create spaces
designed for collaboration and
allow people to come to work as
often or as little as they'd like. As
such, you can design a space that
works better for your team and
save money at the same time. So
even if your office doesn't return
to " normal, " it may end up better
than ever.

FEAR: YOUR COMPANY
CULTURE IS IN DANGER.
One of the hardest parts of transitioning to working from home-
whether partially or fully-is
replicating the social interactions
that form the basis of a company's
culture. In some sense, migrating
the actual work is the easy part.
There is a challenge in adapting
company culture to a work-fromanywhere context.
Overcoming that challenge
requires taking an active role in
maintaining culture in a way that
bridges physical distance. You can't
simply let your team members sign
on, do their job, and sign off. You

should make time for virtual happy
hours or other team-building activities, you should try to maintain a
virtual water cooler where people
can chat about trivial matters, and
you should find creative ways to
make everyone feel like they're
working together. With those
measures and a focus on culture,
your employment brand can grow
stronger than ever regardless of
where your team is located.

FEAR: YOUR CLIENTS
WILL SHOP AROUND.
Most CPA firms serve a largely
local clientele. It only stands to
reason, then, that without as much
depending on where a business is
physically located, certain clients
may start looking for new accounting solutions. This line of thinking
ignores the incredible opportunity
these times present.
Local communities are resilient, and they're relying on each
other more than ever before. As
you help shepherd your clients
through this challenging year and
beyond, you can forge a bond that
will last years. In the coming years,
the benefits of being both remote
and local will could make your firm
more valuable than ever. ■

NOVEMBER 2020 ■

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