Theresa Richardson, CPA, is a partner and the chief talent officer at WithumSmith+Brown. As chief talent officer, she reports directly to the firm’s CEO and oversees all aspects of talent.
Firm practice management
Rethinking retention
Retention expert Chason Hecht says employee retention requires tapping into employees’ need for connectedness, challenge, and fulfillment.
The power of one firm: Risks of individualized practices
Rapid growth may bring unexpected changes that may challenge a CPA firm’s identity.
SoulCycle: An intentional focus on culture
Weekly staff meetings and town hall-style meetings allow employees in the corporate office in New York City to ask honest questions and get a response.
ESOPs help some CPA firms with retention, succession
Some profitable firms have found that employee stock ownership plans have helped them preserve their culture and provide stability.
GMLCPA: Cross-training
CEO and founder Gabrielle Luoma, CPA, CGMA, cross-trains her staff so they understand both their own and their co-workers’ roles.
BNA: A completely flat hierarchy
At first glance, you might take Rock Hill, S.C.-based CPA firm BNA for a tech startup.
Innovation showcase: CPA employers on the cutting edge
Completely virtual workplaces. Flat hierarchies. Employees who set their own hours. Vacation stipends. Silicon Valley? Not quite. Meet seven employers that have radically rethought the ways they relate to their CPAs and are reinventing the accounting workplace.
ClearPath Accountants: Transparent financials
Transparency and ownership are the bywords at Denver-area firm ClearPath Accountants.
High Rock Accounting: Vacation stipends
Would you like $1,000 to go on vacation this year? It’s yours at High Rock Accounting, but there’s a catch.
IntrapriseTechKnowlogies: Employees set their hours
Forty hours may be a standard work-week—but there’s no such thing as a “standard” CPA.
Q&A: Don’t believe these Millennial myths
Generational expert Jason Dorsey recommends ways employers can recruit (and keep) members of the often-misunderstood Millennial generation.
Frank, Rimerman and Co.: A coaching culture
At California firm Frank, Rimerman and Co., coaching permeates the entire culture.
How firms can overcome challenges and develop a diverse workforce
Recruiting a diverse workforce can be a challenge for CPA firms outside the Big Four, but it can be overcome with a commitment to building relationships.
6 leadership mistakes to avoid
When it comes to change, you need to lead, follow, or get out of the way.
How CPA firms can protect themselves from lawsuits
Guest Sarah Beckett Ference, CPA, of CNA joins the podcast to talk about ways that CPAs can help prevent, or defend themselves from, lawsuits.
How to avoid inheritance mistakes
During times of grief, family members often become overwhelmed and make quick decisions about inheritance details they don’t understand.
It’s all relative: How CPAs navigate family businesses
CPAs should help a family business operate in a professional fashion.
ARAG funds and facilitates accounting firm research projects
The AICPA Assurance Research Advisory Group (ARAG) awarded two research teams funding and/or access to accounting firm personnel for research on assurance topics of interest to the CPA profession.
The importance of killing projects
Project management should include an exit plan.
Features
FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
Building a better CPA firm: Stepping up service offerings
A key step in business model modernization is determining how to implement services that satisfy clients and employees.