What Staff Really Think
Source: The Management Catalyst
We have taken excerpts from this article and included a link to the complete article, with permission from The Rosenberg Associates, Ltd.
Marc Rosenberg assembles a group of 15 staff members representing different accounting firms every year for his Rosenberg Associates Staff Forum. This year’s group consisted of 7 men and 8 women. Prior to the meeting they ranked what they value most (in order of importance):
- Work-life balance.
- Compensation.
- Training.
- Advancement opportunities.
Mentoring, surprisingly, ranked only 9th. It ranked 12th last year.
The group demonstrated a level of maturity, sophistication, and insight their partners usually don’t give them credit for.
- They don’t understand why partners can’t agree on how work should be done.
- They recognize that partners in small firms are not their own bosses. Clients are.
- They understand the need for succession planning and would like assurances the firm will be in existence for 5 to 10 years.
- Ethical behavior is very important.
- They like being busy.
They like their jobs because of the people they work with, including partners.
The men felt comfortable enough with work-life balance at their firms to envision becoming partners one day. The women had doubts because of:
- Difficulty in managing work and home responsibilities.
- Lack of support from the partner group.
- Not knowing what the future will bring.
Their advice to partners on bridging the “communication” gap:
- Don’t buy in to the “GEN X/Y” hype.
- Find something we have in common.
- Spend time around the office—you will learn a lot.
What will cause them to stay around for 5 to 10 years? Let them work from home. Share your plans with them. And give them measurable expectations.
For the complete article, click here.
From The Management Catalyst, Spring 2008, The Rosenberg Associates, Ltd., Wilmette, IL, www.rosenbergassoc.com.
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