Learning = Retention

Source: Accounting Office Management & Administration Report

At the AICPA Practitioners Symposium, consultant Jennifer Wilson presented ideas on how to create a learning culture in CPA firms of any size. Learning is crucial at every level, including the partner level.

Here are some of the ideas:

• The firm should establish itself as a place that values and invests in learning.
• Put one person in charge of learning and be sure he/she is accountable for results.
• Identify the teachers—vendors, associations, or internal people with knowledge.
• Check the competencies templates at the PCPS. From these you can develop job descriptions and then determine training needed.
• Decide on the overall learning needed in the firm:
  • Soft skills such as management, leadership, communications, mentoring, selling, client relationships, etc.
  • Business processes including billing, proposals, scheduling, budgeting, and planning.
  • Business of the firm—how the firm makes money, including realization, utilization, etc.
  • Technical skills.
• Determine the learning requirements for each job in the firm. These should be achieved before promotion to the next level. For example, for a first-year staff auditor, the requirements might include ethics, time management, client service and communication, time entry and other administrative tasks, audit preparation and client file setup, trial balance setup, creating and updating schedules, vouching and tracing to and from client documents, reconciling and rolling forward client balances, updating financials, and meeting audit standards.
• Learning requirements for entry-level staff can be set by the firm, then (after the first performance appraisal) staff members can develop their own.
• People learn better when learning methods are varied.
• Use a learning matrix to display options and track participation. Measure results—not only who took what course, but how trained v. non-trained people performed in various categories.

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From Accounting Office Management & Administration Report, November 2008, p. 1, “How a Learning Culture Can Help Retain Staff.” For subscription information contact Institute of Management & Administration, Inc., 3 Park Avenue, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10016-5902. One-year subscription $469 212-244-0360, [email protected].

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