Accounting firms everywhere are going to great lengths to retain staff these days, but the very best workplaces in the profession are going a step beyond retention.

Instead, they’re aiming for engagement.

Of the two, retention is the weaker force, because it relies on the practical — on benefits and compensation, on management attention and opportunities for advancement, on rewards and recognition. While these lay a critical foundation, they’re ultimately replicable; other firms can match them, and draw an employee away.

Engagement is stronger because it relies on things that are harder to duplicate — a feeling of purpose, belief in a firm’s leadership, the bonds forged by a team, the shared memories and war stories. It is more emotional than practical, and harder to create, but once created, it is a powerful force.

The 2018 Best Firms understand that, and it’s a major goal of their personnel policies and strategies. The lists and firm profiles that appear in the following pages give some insight into how they’re building engaged workforces; for the moment, though, it’s worth noting the key drivers of engagement for their staff, as revealed by anonymous surveys of each firm’s employees conducted by Best Companies Group, Accounting Today’s partner in ranking each year’s Best Firms:

1. I feel part of a team working toward a shared goal.
2. I have confidence in the leadership of this organization.
3. I like the type of work that I do.
4. This organization treats me like a person, not a number.
5. Most days, I feel I have made progress at work.
6. At this organization, employees have fun at work.
7. Overall, I’m satisfied with this organization’s benefits package.
8. My supervisor handles my personal issues satisfactorily.
9. Quality is a top priority with this organization.
10. I feel I am valued in this organization.

That anonymous staff survey comprises 75 percent of each Best Firm’s score, so to make the list they need to ensure that everything they do goes to making employees feel strongly about each of those drivers. (The other 25 percent of the score is based on an in-depth review of personnel policies and practices.)

Think your firm is building similar levels of employee engagement? Visit www.bestaccountingfirmstoworkfor.com to sign up for next year’s survey, and find out.

In the meantime, here is Accounting Today’s 2018 Best Accounting Firms to Work For — enjoy!