Over the weekend, a friend of my youngest who works for a
Big Four firm in its New York City office was complaining about the skill set
of her managers in terms of workplace atmosphere. Now full bore into tax season
she harbored no illusions of her position adhering to a 9-to-5 schedule through
April 16, but the other night her manager made her remain until nearly midnight
on a Saturday to run some minor reports and apparently kept the entire team
there for what today they often refer to as “good optics.”
She knows she has to put in at least a year at the firm for
continuity sake and the fact that at least a year’s worth of Big Four
experience looks good on her resume. But she was stunned that several of her
colleagues enjoyed being there, often until 1 or 2 a.m. with seemingly little
to do.
As she’s only a mere 22 years of age, I advised her to
bite the bullet now and she will have plenty of time down the road to pursue a
job at a firm she truly feels comfortable with.
Contrast that with another young, budding CPA who works
for a smaller practice. Yes, he’s often there until 9 or 10 pm on weekdays, but
was given his choice of working either Saturday or Sunday on the weekends until
the annual landfill of 1040s begins to ebb. It’s needless to point out which one
is often in the better mood when I see them.
As someone who has either covered or consulted on the
accounting profession for nearly 18 years, I’ve seen both sides when it comes
to working environments during tax season. I’ve met managing partners who abide
by a code that their staff will never be there past 8 pm regardless of how busy
they are, and then I’ve spoken to tax partners who lug along cots to the office
and see their families about as often as someone confined to protective custody.
You don’t need to be an industrial psychologist to know
that the first few years out of college forge a formidable imprint as to
working in a profession or industry of one’s choosing. As an example I once
thought of entering the hospitality profession, but several weeks of 16 hour
days and leaving at 3 or 4 am quickly absolved me of that notion.
No matter how you spin it, tax season is a rough haul –
always has been and always will be. It’s up to you and your firm how your
younger staff will perceive it on an annual basis. My daughter’s friend is
already thinking about the private sector.
For those in public accounting that’s an unpleasant
scenario that could probably be avoided with an equitable mixture of creativity
and compassion.
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