may2021 - 16

THE STAFFING & HR ADVISOR
ONBOARDING AND OFFBOARDING EMPLOYEES:
Why Getting it Right Matters
THE FIRST FEW weeks on the job are critical for employees. Among the impressions they are
getting and giving, CPAs will be assessing what their future at your firm may look like. When
onboarding is done well, new recruits settle in quickly, become productive and begin to develop
feelings of loyalty towards the organization. When not done well, may get the opposite results.
First impressions matter a great deal.
Last impressions are important, too.
A bungled or non-existent offboarding
process can leave departed staff feeling
confused or even bitter - and if
the employee resigned, it could leave
management in the dark as to why.
In the age of remote working and
no-handshake protocols, welcomes
and farewells may seem harder than
ever. But just as routines and cultures
have changed, so have best practices for
orienting new employees. Here's how
you can make your onboarding and
offboarding processes work for both
you and your hires.
TIPS FOR REMOTE
ONBOARDING
Continued competition for staff and
the ease of remote recruitment mean
firms can look further afield to find
talent. If you can recruit, interview
and hire someone without meeting
them in person, you can onboard
them too, so long as you follow a few
simple rules:
1.
GET STARTED IMMEDIATELY -
Your onboarding strategy should
begin the day a new hire accepts the job.
Firing off a quick email with a bunch of
attachments for them to read or sign
conveys that they're low on your list of
priorities. But making time for a oneon-one
video call creates a strong first
impression, demonstrates company values
and shows you are excited about them.
2.
PREPARE FOR A WELL-ORGANIZED
START - Make sure your new
recruits have the equipment they
need, that login permissions for your
cloud-based ERP or tax systems are set
up, and that you provide a structured
itinerary for the first week of work.
Seemingly small details can make a big
difference. They can help newcomers
feel welcomed and valued, rather than
confused and frustrated.
3.
ASSIGN A BUDDY - Whi le
managers play a critical role in
shaping an accountant's first few weeks,
assigning an onboarding buddy can
ensure the experience is positive and
productive. Buddies help most when
they know the work the new hire will
be doing. For example, if your CPA will
be briefing senior managers regularly
on the organization's financial status,
assign them a buddy who has fulfilled
this role in the past.
4.
5.
ASK FOR FEEDBACK - Once your
new CPA has found their feet, ask
them to fill in a new hire survey. Keep it
brief (you don't want to overwhelm them
with paperwork) but invite them to share
their experience while it's still fresh in
their mind. Not only will this help to fine
tune your onboarding process, but it's a
chance to address any early concerns.
SET PERFORMANCE GOALS - It's
critical for new employees to fully
understand their responsibilities and
have a clear picture of what you expect
of them. Flexibility is crucial when
managing remote workers, but it has its
limits - CPAs simply cannot fail to meet
their client's government-mandated
deadlines for tax filing, for example. Setting
out specific, measurable, achievable
goals for the first 30, 60 and 90 days will
give them added incentive to succeed,
while enabling you to review progress
and identify training needs.
6.
MAKE TIME FOR PERSONAL
CONNECTION - A key aspect of
16 MAY 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
PAUL McDONALD
Senior Executive Director
Robert Half
paul.mcdonald@cpapracticeadvisor.com
onboarding is bonding with the team,
a challenge for remote workers. Factor
in time for social interactions whether
through online casual conversations
or virtual team-building activities to
minimize feelings of isolation and to
help build trust.
7.
EMPHASIZE HEALTHY WORK
HABITS - Highl ight ing the
importance of work-life balance is
especially important in a remote work
environment. Without commutes, CPAs
may put in extra-long hours in order
to prove themselves and could end up
suffering from burnout. To avoid this,
emphasize to your recruit that you value
great work and productivity over hours
logged, and then agree some boundaries
with the whole team so that your remote
hire feels comfortable logging off.
DON'T MAKE OFFBOARDING
AN AFTERTHOUGHT
Whether through resignation, termination
or retirement, some of your
CPAs will inevitably move on. How
you manage their departure will
make the difference between burning
bridges and turning the employee
into a brand champion and company
alumnus. Whether it's an in-person
exit or departure from a distance, try
to make sure you:
* Learn important
lessons - Exit
interviews can help your organization
improve. Employees often spot
problems that managers miss, and
departing staff may be more willing
to discuss these issues than the colleagues
they're leaving behind. For
example, remote accountants might
reveal frustrations about the level of
support they received from your IT
department. A quick call to your IT
counterpart could be all it takes to
resolve this problem, which might
otherwise have festered undetected.
* Include them in hiring their replacement
- Involve departing staff in the
selection of their successor. When
they see their contribution is still
valued, they are likely to pass on their
knowledge and facilitate a smooth
handover.
* Leave the door open - Maintaining
good relations with former employees
paves the road for " boomerang
rehires. " After leaving your organization,
qualified CPAs and accounting
professionals will gain new knowledge
and grow in their careers. Striking a
positive final note means there's more
of a chance they may one day return
to your company, bringing those new
and improved skills with them.
* Protect
the firm's reputation -
Accomplished professionals will
research your firm when deciding
where they want to work. Don't give
departing employees a reason to
make negative comments on social
media. Treating staff with care and
respect as they prepare to leave your
firm encourages them to become
ambassadors rather than antagonists.
An employee should experience
a continuous process of performance
reviews, feedback and support. But
how this process starts and ends can
leave deep and lasting impressions. By
fine tuning their transition processes,
accountancy firms create a positive
workplace culture that sets their staff up
for success, both now and in the future. ■

http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

may2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2021