Why accountancy should no longer be seen as ‘just a job’

The roles for people owning or working in accounting firms are changing. Digitalisation is transforming the ways in which we work and many of the tasks that have traditionally consumed the time and focus of accounting employers and employees are becoming far less dependent on human hands and minds.

The demand for the core services that we offer hasn’t changed significantly but the way in which we deliver them has. The demand for wider services is growing and so too is the desire among accounting firms to offer them.

The ability of firms, their leaders and their teams to evolve is being tested and this is leading me to challenge some deeply rooted issues, fundamental to how firms and individuals have worked to this point and now have to address as they approach their future in the profession.

To some in our profession, accountancy has always been a professional vocational. I would certainly class myself in this camp and I meet many others: accountants who look far beyond the numbers and deadlines and have a real passion for helping their clients, creating opportunities for their team and building thriving, positive firms that make a difference in their community. Accountancy to them isn’t just a job, it’s a means of fulfilment.

For others, accountancy is a job: not a vocation, but a professional job that they  are very good at and gain satisfaction from doing well. They don’t seek to use their skills to change the world but do gain fulfilment from a job well done.

For the rest, accountancy is a job in its most basic sense: a series of tasks to be done to meet their contract and a way of paying the bills. A day to be endured.

Working in an accounting firm will always be challenging. We work in an environment driven by multiple customer demands and deadlines,  governed by professional and legal standards, where we must consider complex, important and high value matters under time and fee pressure. It’s never going to be easy.

In such a challenging environment, if you are not going home at the end of the day fulfilled by what you have achieved then you have to question whether the pressures and stress are worth it. There are easier jobs out there!

And this is where my challenge comes in.

As a leader of an accounting firm, I used to accept that not everyone in my team had the same passion that I had for helping clients. However, If they fell into the second category and took pride in their performance then that too was great.

However, if they fell into the third category, and saw their role as very much ‘just a job’ then that was still okay as long as they delivered on their contractual responsibilities.

I don’t think that works any more, for three reasons:-

1.   If firms are to be successful today then they need the whole team to engage in the culture and the plan. We constantly witness discussions around teams ‘stepping up’ – because accounting firm leaders need to be free to work on their businesses and not in them and because a wider spectrum of service delivery and higher client expectations requires a whole of firm effort and engagement. Teams must step forward as one otherwise the reality of only being as strong as your weakest point will always hold the firm back.

2.   Accounting firms require energy, positivity and ambition to grow and stand out in today’s world. Add these to a shared vision and you have a powerful mix. Allow this to be diluted by negativity, obstruction or an unwillingness to engage and you add a bitter taste to the cocktail that impacts on the whole experience, internally and externally.

3.   For those who see it a ‘just a job’ not only is the growth of the firm going to add to the hassle that they feel but, for dynamic firms seeking change, they can no longer accept working around such individuals. It’s in everyone’s best interest to recognise that it’s no longer a healthy relationship.

I believe that we should talk more openly about accountancy as a vocation and about the challenge of driving standards. Instead of shying away from conversations that may seem a bit weird (“let’s talk about passion, emotion, belief”) or scary (We’re going to push you outside your comfort zone and challenge you to be more”), we should embrace the concepts of making a difference and bettering ourselves to the extent that they become fundamental to our team cultures. Everyone wants to learn. Everyone wants to be better and progress. Only then do we build the firm and level of performance that we seek with a team who want to shine.

Just doing your job is no longer enough for a firm that wants to deliver more. I’m not sure that there is room anymore to compromise with team members who don’t engage with the plan and vision.

Often, those who see their role merely as doing a job are still hardworking, loyal individuals. That’s why they are still with you and I’m not advocating dismissal. I’m simply saying that the lack of a fit in your future isn’t healthy for either them, you or their colleagues. With over 40,000 firms in the UK, there are plenty of places for those who are no longer comfortable in a more progressive firm.

Incidentally, I have other issues around people who describe themselves as ‘just an accountant’ but that’s for another time! body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.