OUTLOOK & ANALYSIS

Citrin Cooperman’s 5 Big Secrets for “A Great Place to Work”

Crain’s NY ranks best CPA firms to work for.

Joel Cooperman
Joel Cooperman

Citrin Cooperman & Co. was also ranked first among accounting firms in the mid-sized category, which included companies with between 150 and 499 employees.

Winners were chosen based on the results of an employee-driven survey conducted by Crain’s New York Business in partnership with Quantum Research. According to Crain’s New York Business, it is the first study ever conducted to determine the most desirable companies to work for in New York City.

The other winners among CPA firms are:

Citrin Cooperman’s five top strategies:

  1. Reimburses 25 percent of the cost of new business clothing up to $500;
  2. Offers four-week sabbaticals to professionals who have been with the company for six or more year in return for two 1,000-word essays, one of which includes suggestions for improving the company.
  3. Citrin Cooperman University, a structured continuing education program for young accountants;
  4. A Mentoring Program, where partners can share their experience and knowledge to professionals and staff;
  5. An International Work Exchange Program, offering professionals the opportunity to work at an accounting firm overseas.

According to a Citrin Cooperman internal study, more than 90 percent of the firm’s employees

  • feel valued,
  • trust senior leadership and their co-workers, and
  • feel that they are given opportunities to contribute as individuals.

Citrin Cooperman has grown from an $18 million firm in 2000 to a more than an $80 million operation in 2008 as it has been able to recruit and retain top talent in the accounting industry. The firm now employs 330 overall, including 210 in the firm’s New York City headquarters.

“We’ve found that retaining talented professionals – and partnering with them in advancing their careers – is the best way to provide clients with high-quality service and to grow the firm overall,” said Joel Cooperman.

Adds NY-area consultant Robert Fligel:

What a compliment to the leadership at these firms and to the industry in general. The public accounting profession has had a startling turn-around in how they treat their staff. Not too long ago, a managing partner referred to the prior attitude toward staff as “my way or the highway.” Don’t get me wrong. I know public accounting is still a very demanding profession. Everyone from entry level to partner put in long hours regularly and have their stresses. But, sabbaticals, flex schedules, contests and other initiatives to add more creativity and fun to the workplace have elevated the public accounting firms immeasurably from where they used to be.