Working More, but Enjoying It Less

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How hard do you work? Get the report: Managing the CPA Workload: Issues and Solutions.

by Rick Telberg

Back in the 1960s when the tobacco industry advertised on television, one of the cigarette brands ran a campaign that asked, “Are you smoking more and enjoying it less?”

Let’s fast forward to CPAs on the job in the 21st century and rephrase that question: “Are you working more and enjoying it less?”

The answers are a resounding “yes” and “yes.” Accountants are working more and finding it really quite stressful.

“I should have gone to dental school,” laments a mid-level internal auditor in business and industry who feels frequently stressed by a job that entails 60 to 70 hours of work most weeks and more than 70 hours per week during busy season.