may2021 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR
Ah COVID-19, We Hardly Knew Ye
AS THE COUNTRY'S businesses are starting to get back to normal, or redefine normal
as the case may be, it seems a good time to reflect on the nature of this beast we call
pandemic and how thoroughly it took us by storm. From closed offices and remote
workers to virtual meetings and cloud storage, we as accountants jumped right in and,
on the surface, it appears we barely missed a beat.
We made our changes to working
environments and relationships
without being given a choice and
with basically no time to plan. Now
that our extended tax season is
behind us, it is a good time to reflect
and consider how your business
and your client relationships will
proceed in the year(s) ahead.
In particular, with relation to
staffing, the results of a new survey
from staffing firm Robert Half show
some intriguing insights into the
impact COVID-19 had on us personally.
The survey results show that
38% of those surveyed (over 5,000
staff and managers throughout
the U.S.) feel their careers have
stalled in the past year. Whether
their careers would have advanced
during that year is an unknown, but
the sense is one of disappointment
or frustration that people have not
been able to move ahead in their
career paths due to the pandemic.
As a result, this might be a
good time to meet with colleagues
and discuss how the pandemic
impacted careers in your firm. Many
firms placed advancement opportunities
on hold, almost everyone
experienced some version of remote
working, the definition of productivity
became more fluid as did
scheduling. We all faced some combination
of family responsibilities,
makeshift remote working spaces,
technology issues, fatigue, lack of
social interaction, and restricted
access to clients and resources, not
to mention health issues.
If we ever face another shutCPA
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VOLUME 31, NUMBER 4
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Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA.CITP
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Amy Vetter, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Becky Livingston
Garrett Wagner, CPA.CITP
Richard D. Alaniz, J.D.
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Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP, CGMA, MBA
Bob Cedergren, CPA.CITP, CGMA, CISA
Randy Johnston, MCS
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Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Doug Sleeter
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down for any reason, we'll certainly
be better equipped to handle it, but
for now, as we think about how we
want to work and more forward, I
believe it's important to remember
that our people represent our most
valuable asset, and securing the loyalty
of staff is crucial. So, where do
you start? Here are some tips to help
you move forward post-pandemic:
■ Determine what worked well and
what didn't work as well with regard
to remote working or any other
changes you made in the ways in
which you work. Discuss with your
team how you can incorporate the
successful parts into your practice
going forward, and consider how
you will avoid or improve the
situations that arose that were not
as successful as you would have
liked. For example, video calls might
have been successful, but maybe if
you use them going forward you'll
want to improve the backgrounds
or the technology.
Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm
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GAIL PERRY, CPA
Editor-in-Chief
gail.perry@cpapracticeadvisor.com
@gperrycpa
■ As ment ioned above, career
advancement has been stalled.
Discuss what can change to make
sure all colleagues feel their needs
are being met. Are responsibilities
changing, will client relationships
be handled differently, has technology
improved, will scheduling
be different now? All of these
considerations should now be added
to the mix when determining how
people will advance through your
firm.
■ Focus on the positive. You all made
it through this together. Recognize
those high points during the past
year, take the time to take pride in
your accomplishments, build on
what you have experienced, and
use your combined strength to grow
together. ■
- Gail Perry, Editor-in-Chief
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may2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2021
