Club Management - September/October 2007 - (Page 17) Feature Are You Covered? Your controller is often strapped with financial responsibilities and more. So what happens when she leaves? By Bobbe Wunderlich CFO, Forest Hills Country Club Y Your club’s controller wears many hats, indeed. He or she is the accountant, but often also acts as the human resources director, head of management information systems, benefits administrator, office manager, Webmaster and risk manager. Is there anyone at your club who would be able to step in and cover those duties if the controller suddenly couldn’t work? In most small-to-medium-sized clubs, the controller is able to delegate some duties to the office staff, but in many clubs, the office staff consists of only a receptionist and a bookkeeper. Many club boards mistakenly think their outside accounting fi rm would provide someone who could just step in and take over without missing a beat. The best way to protect your club from confusion and disarray in the case of an unexpected absence is to have a Controller’s Operations Manual as a guideline. Is it really possible to write down every task, and how to do it? Of course it isn’t. But you can develop a document that would give an interim person (or the beleaguered office staff) a running start, and that would help the club avoid any financial penalties arising from errors of omission. In addition, although private clubs are not directly subject to the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley, many clubs are following best practices policies. Protecting your club from costly omissions will certainly give your outside auditors a good reason to smile and report to your board that you have made an effort to lessen the club’s exposure should this key employee be unable to work. This outline can be tailored to reflect the specific responsibilities at your club. It is provided as a kick-start to beginning a job that one would probably prefer to postpone indefi nitely. Your controller wouldn’t think of not having good data backups or missing a payroll tax deadline, but your club is just as exposed by having no coverage of these responsibilities in his or her absence. Is your controller a long-time employee who has it all “in her head?” Then it is even more essential for the controller to take the time to prepare this “disaster plan.” Suggest that the comptroller begin with the outline on page 18, and add as much detail as possible. Once the basic manual is on paper, keeping it updated with changes is not such a monumental task. After the manual is prepared, review it with your key office person. Even though you both know she doesn’t do the controller’s SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 • 17
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