Along with our great friends at DiviPay, we recently spoke with Jason Robinson (Director, Future Advisory) and Amanda Kenefake (CEO, Power Tynan) about how to create a thriving environment for your team whether working remotely or in the office and some of the initiatives they are using to identify and combat these challenges.
Ultimately, we are trying to ensure that firms are really living and breathing their employee value proposition, and it isn’t something that just stays written in a job description or policy document.
We have put together the following cheat sheet to help bring the highlight package of this webinar to you in short form.
What are the biggest challenges we are facing in the accounting industry?
Some of the biggest challenges the accounting industry face right now is around people not having enough time, tiredness and burnout, especially leading into a busy period and the ability to attract and retain the best talent. We are also experiencing challenges with legislation changes, clients wanting more from the team which leads to a build up in capacity and capability within the team to meet client demands.
What is important in creating a thriving environment for your team?
Communication and relationships is the key. If you’re not talking to your people and if your people aren't able to talk to you openly and honestly and let you know how they're feeling then it's difficult to create a thriving environment for your team. Creating an ongoing connection with your team, whether virtually or in person, that supports not only work conversations but an opportunity to check in on how they are doing personally goes a long way in supporting wellbeing.
"The most important thing is remembering there is no silver bullet approach"
So how should you approach the challenge of looking after your people?
There is no silver bullet approach when it comes to your people. Everyone is different. What each of us do and value is different so to empower your staff to choose what works for them ensures that they are doing what works for them. Its important to communicate with your team around the initiatives you’re wanting to implement and create a safe place to have that conversation.
"9 day fortnight has allowed staff to stop doing what doesn't matter and focus on the things that matter"
What initiatives have worked?
The biggest learning about improving engagement and retention was getting feedback on what their employees wanted and what would work for them rather than guessing or taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We have found that providing flexibility to meet staff where they are most productive is having a positive impact on their wellbeing. Power Tynan has been experimenting with a 9 day work fortnight. They have found that this has allowed staff to play it smart and focus on the tasks that are important. They have stopped doing the stuff that doesn't matter, which empowers the team to make smarter decisions. How do they know this is working? Measuring the impact of implementing new initiatives provides objective data on whether its working or not.
What initiatives haven’t worked?
Things that haven't worked are ideas that leadership thought would be good but didn't have the feedback to support. Maybe you’re implementing something the team doesn't want which can have the opposite effect of what you’re set out to achieve.
The Everperform experiment
At Everperform we are taking an experimental approach by giving everyone a wellbeing card with a budget to utilize in any way they like and that they believe will have the biggest impact on their own wellbeing. Its also a good way for leaders to learn about our people by the way they are spending their budget. Whether it be a bike purchase, gym membership, Oura ring or massage, its taught the leaders a lot about their own people, giving further insight and deeper connections. We look forward to keeping you posted on the results.
Both Amanda and Jason are showcasing that by living and breathing their EVP they are consistently outperforming the Everperform Index and helping their people perform at their best, sustainably.
