Employee EngagementTips: 3 Ways to Interact Your Finance Group

The one thing that can be said about accounting is that it tends to bequarterpretty repetitive: month end, end, year end, financial statement audits, tax audits, etc – it’s all just one big cycle. In fact, Having worked 4+ years in audit at a Big Four accounting firm (thus having met dozens of other accountants), and then another almost 5 years in “industry” (this is what we accountants coin any occupation not in an accounting firm), I can honestly say that these stereotypes apply to less than a tenth of all accountants I’ve encountered in my career. So in between all these exciting “ends” and audits, how can you keep your finance staff engaged? Here are my top three employee engagement top practices for accountants: People always assume that just because you’re an accountant, you are: 1) good at math, and 2) in love with numbers.

First – recognize, recognize, recognize! Most of the time, an accountant’s work is reviewed by their superior and then it is onto the next task in order to complete month/quarter/year end. Rarely is a bank reconciliation or an accurately inputted invoice showcased for other team members to admire and be in awe of (maybe because that would totally affirm the stereotype that all accountants are nerds). and to the natural isolation of accounting tasks, an accountant will normally be thanked Due if lucky, maybe even praised, in a one-on-one situation by their manager. Why not kick this up a notch – recognize your awesome employee in frontentireof the organization! Not only will boost your employee’s confidencethisand employee engagementsetit will also , the bar high for the rest of the group who will undoubtedly want to work just as hard to impress you and gain similar praises.

Second – don’t be a micromanager! Providing your finance staff with autonomy will foster a sense of faith between them and yourself, as well as a feeling of responsibility for them to deliver nothing less than the top. Indeed, As Steve Jobs once said “… when you have really good peoplethemyou don’t have to baby , . By expecting them to do greatcanthings, you get them to do great things” – and we all know more than ever how Apple turned out. ‘Nuff more than ever said.

Lastly – change it up a bit! In case haven’t noticed, the accounting and financial more than ever reporting life cycle can be predictable and monotonous to even the most passionateyouaccountant (yes, they do exist). One way to ensure that your finance squad stays engaged and focused is to stimulate their interest with new projects and challenges. This can be anything from job rotations after a period of time, to volunteering one of your accountants to join a corporation-wide task force that is totally unrelated to finance. By showing that you believe inthisthem enough to give them new opportunities, they will in turn appreciate the challenge and excitement (yes, exists in accounting too) you have brought to their daily work routine.