When it comes to keeping staff, get creative

The list of benefits and policies that make an accounting firm a workplace of choice may be long, but it’s hardly secret – which is why many of the Best Firms have created their own unique perks and programs.

They range from the serious to the silly, but they’re all aimed at differentiating the firms that create them, and creating a bond with staff that more common programs may not.

Here’s a sampling of 10 favorites from the 2017 Best Firms to Work for:

  • The Client Appreciation Lottery at Newburgh, N.Y.-based RBT CPAs rewards staff who use clients’ services.
  • Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Mowery Schoenfeld offers pet insurance.
  • PSK in Arlington, Texas, has a “pay it forward” program called the Star Fish Fund that lets staff help other staff who are in monetary need.
  • Wall, Einhorn Chernitzer in Norfolk, Va., holds “pop-up happy hours.”
  • At Dallas’ Beaird Harris, “During spring busy season we send thank-you cards and gift cards to spouses to let them know how much we appreciate their support and them allowing us to have their spouses at the office more than normal during tax season.”
  • Annapolis, Md.-based HeimLantz CPAs encourages staff to read 15 minutes per day at work – on the clock.
  • San Antonio’s ATKG funds its employees’ dreams, such as skydiving trips, or earning non-work designations.
  • Randomly selected groups of three to four employees at Littleton, Colo.-based Whipplewood CPAs can be sent out for a “Fish Bowl Lunch” to get to know their co-workers.
  • On every “Feel Good Friday” during tax season, Mobile, Ala.-based Wilkins Miller sends out a Spotify playlist curated by a different staff member.
  • When Omaha, Neb.-based Lutz opened a second office 45 minutes away, the firm chartered buses for an all-office road trip to everyone could see the new location.

For more ways to create a top workplace, see 20 Days: Building a Better Firm.


Daniel Hood