Rita Keller on: The Staffing Crisis

How to encourage and celebrate CPA exam candidates.

by Rita Keller
Shareholder
Brady Ware

Many firms, especially the large nationals and regional’s, have so much work that they do not want their young accountants taking time away from billable work to devote to study and passing the exam. Simply put, client needs come before staff development needs.

However, I am seeing many of the Top 100 firms now beginning to re-emphasize the importance of the exam.

At Brady Ware we did a complete re-engineering of our performance management and advancement policies and procedures. One aspect is that accounting graduates entering the firm have two years from their employment date to pass the CPA exam. “We are a CPA firm, we need CPAs,” stated Gary Adamson, Managing Director.

To reinforce the firm’s commitment, we offered more generous benefits to support their efforts at passing the exam. Those who had been at the firm but had not passed the exam were given a two-year window.

The accountants actually thanked us for giving them the boost they needed and they appreciated the extra perks. We are nearing the end of the two-year grandfather period and have many success stories. Their progress is closely monitored and communicated throughout the firm. We celebrate each section passed!

Posted at July 1, 2008
Filed Under BSG [CPA TRENDLINES] |

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