عرض العناصر حسب علامة : نصائح مهنية
الأربعاء, 21 سبتمبر 2022 13:51
السمعة هي كل شيء
تقييم وإدارة مخاطر السمعة أمر ضروري لرفاهية المنظمة.
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
Reputation Is Everything
Assessing and managing reputational risk is essential to organizational well-being.
Logan WamsleyJune 22, 2021Comments
Reputation can make or break an organization. As famed investor Warren Buffett once said, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." Indeed, an organization's reputation can deteriorate rapidly— and it can be difficult to restore.
Beyond its potential impact on organizational success, reputational risk is also unique in nature. Unlike a risk that can exist in isolation — such as any given operational, financial, or compliance risk — reputational risk only exists in relation to other risks. And managing it depends on the organization's ability to address those risks.
"I view reputation risk as a consequence of another tier-one risk occurring," said Arya Yarpezeshkan, chief risk officer for U.S. insurance company Navigators Group in a recent Deloitte global survey on reputational risk. "For example, if we have a compliance or fraud risk event, that could lead to reputation damage and have a stock market impact. An event occurs which poses a risk to reputation. Therefore, I look at [reputational risk] as a result of other events."
No matter how obvious it may seem, reputational risk can be extremely difficult to measure and quantify — and that can make reporting on it to the board and audit committee a challenge. But addressing reputational risk is essential to the health of the organization, and often a necessary challenge for practitioners to undertake. With an understanding of potential types and sources of reputational risk, internal auditors can better assess the organization's exposure and develop an audit plan that helps keep its reputation intact.
Scope and Impact
Reputation is a driving basis for revenue in today's economy, and organizations cannot afford to underestimate it. "Firms with strong positive reputations attract better people," wrote Robert Eccles, Scott Newquist, and Roland Schatz in a Harvard Business Review article. "They are perceived as providing more value, which often allows them to charge a premium. … Moreover, in an economy where 70% to 80% of market value comes from hard-to-assess intangible assets such as brand equity, intellectual capital, and goodwill, organizations are especially vulnerable to anything that damages their reputations." In a 2019 survey of 2,000 executives by global communications and marketing solutions firm Weber Shandwick, researchers found that reputation accounts for approximately 63% of a company's market value.
In financial services, much of that reputation is built on trust — and due to the sensitive nature of the assets financial institutions are responsible for, it does not take much for that trust to be breached. "Reputation can be affected by a news story or something on social media, but I think reputational risk in financial services — or any organization — really stems from the idea of whether the product produced is ethically created," says Dana Lawrence, senior director of Compliance and Internal Control at Azlo, a San Francisco-based online bank for small businesses. "For example, encouraging your sales staff to meet sales objectives that are not necessarily in line with the customer's best interest, or not properly handling more complex processes for something such as defaults on mortgage foreclosure collections — these are typically the root cause of reputational deterioration."
With regard to these issues, financial institutions already stand on somewhat perilous ground. In a 2019 study from J.D. Power, customer perceptions of retail banks having a good reputation and being customer driven are lower than they were 10 years ago. "Customers have long memories and their brand image ratings for bank reputation decline dramatically when they experience problems," the study says. "Reputation declines further when customers perceive that problems are unresolved or resolved in a manner [that puts] the bank's interests ahead of theirs."
Lawrence also cites the impact of who interacts with the institution's products as a significant source of risk. "Financial institutions must be aware of the impact of offering services to certain types of companies," she says. "Even if it is legal, how would such a relationship look in the paper? This doesn't mean not to initiate the relationship, but it does mean being aware of the risks of being associated with different customer types." One such example might be an investment firm's relationship with an oil and gas company — an industry that has come under recent scrutiny as environmental, social, and governance topics have come to the forefront of the global conversation.
"Who decides what your reputation is?" asks Reto Kohler, partner at consulting firm Marakon and former managing director and head of strategy for Investment Banking at Barclays. "When you operate in a legal environment, you know what the law is, you know what your boundaries are. However, in this area of reputation risk, it's not as clearly defined, which makes it very difficult. One person's morals are different from another's, and one might object to something you do, whereas the other might not."
The concept of ethical product production encompasses internal issues, as well. Stories of harassment, workplace discrimination, information from whistleblowers, or perceived inaction addressing social injustices can be extremely damaging, especially in today's charged political environment. Fallout cannot only result in revenue loss but loss of incoming talent. According to a recent study by Deloitte, 44% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Zers "made choices over the type of work they are prepared to do or organizations they'd work for based on personal ethics."
Measuring the Risk
Facing such a broad yet intangible risk, the first task internal auditors should undertake is measuring it in a way the risk committee and the board can consider in relation to other organizational risks. Lawrence recommends starting with geography. "It's useful to think of how many people are going to be paying attention," she says. "Is the risk local or global?"
From there, auditors can also make scale estimates in relationship to variables that relate to moral or ethical topics. "Although it's difficult to score or illustrate with any metric, you can cite, for example, if there have been any lawsuits, major customer complaints, or regulatory issues on a particular area of focus in the last 12 or 24 months," Lawrence says. "This kind of evidence allows boards to have a more comprehensive conversation in the reputational risk committee."
According to Lawrence, more concrete evidence can also be uncovered with the help of external tools such as a net promotor score, which is derived from surveys that determine a percentage of organization "promoters" versus "detractors." Basic searches through Google and social media can also prove beneficial, as can internal statistics such as recent trends of employee losses or abrupt departures from key positions.
Developing an Audit Plan
Dedicated reputational risk audits are rare, but just as the risk itself is so dependent on other risks, it can be adequately addressed in conjunction with many other kinds of audits. For example, Lawrence says, auditors can assess adherence to the code the conduct. If any updates may be necessary, they can test the effectiveness of the organization's whistleblower process, examine the marketing review process to ensure considerations are being made to identify material that may be perceived as offensive or misleading, and review the organization's social media management policy. Each of these examples is a risk unto itself, but all play a role in establishing, maintaining, or deteriorating an organization's reputation.
Reputational risk can also be communicated as internal audit takes a consultative role in helping the organization hone an effective crisis management plan. According to Kohler, evidence of the scale of the risk collected by the audit team in conjunction with the experience of executive management and the C-Suite can play a significant role in identifying potential crisis scenarios and predicting a plan's probability of success. "We always thought about scenario planning in terms of reputation," he says. "Our risk framework quite explicitly demanded evidence that when we thought about a new strategy or whatever it may be, conduct and reputation risk was taken into account." When all applicable parties have a clear picture of what may be at stake from a reputational risk, he says, the importance of understanding each party's role in executing the established plan becomes that much clearer.
Rebuilding After an Oversight
Even the best-laid plans of mice and men can go awry. And when they do, internal audit should play a role in assuring that reputation is rebuilt in a way that is both organic and ethical. For example, when assessing the organization's online reputation management program, internal audit can focus on policy covering responses to negative comments or reviews.
"There are always going to be some negative reviews, and it's interesting how companies respond," Lawrence says. "To counteract two- or three-star reviews, there are some who will just have human resources write more five-star reviews. Obviously this in unethical, but it also does little to address the underlying problem, whether that is a process error or workplace culture issue." When assessing such policies, she says, internal audit can recommend responding to negative feedback positively and assuring applicable parties are aware of the issue so adjustments can be made to avoid it being replicated.
Key Principles
Like many other risks, proactively minimizing reputational risks comes down to a few simple principles: awareness, communication, and process. "I think it's really just a matter of making sure that people are following their process, like any other audit," Lawrence says. "And if processes change, people must be made of aware of the changes to avoid gaps."
No plan can eliminate reputational risk entirely, but adhering to these ideas can go a long way in assuring the organization's name is built to last.
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الأحد, 27 يونيو 2021 14:42
الحفاظ على جودة العمل عند مغادرة الموظفين الرئيسيين
نركز هنا على ما يمكن أن تفعله الشركات لمنع الاضطراب عند مغادرة الموظفين الأساسيين للشركة.
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
Staff departures are part of life in a professional service environment -- accounting firms included -- and when these individuals depart, essential processes and client information often go with them. What can a firm do to prevent this?
In this case study, we take a look at how Schlabach Enterprises Inc., a snall but growing tax and accounting firm from the rural Buffalo area, took a pro-active approach to ensuring crucial information and functions did not go out the door if staff eventually leave.
Background: Schlabach Enterprises Inc. was started 13 years ago by Jeffrey Schlabach, EA. The business was mainly focused on individual and business tax work, but evolved to also offer accounting and business consulting services as well. Steven Wik, director of business engagement, after the referral business at the firm grew to a level that needed to be managed. This was about three years ago, when the rural Buffalo-area firm was “buried nearly two-years deep in projects.”
The firm is currently a staff of five, servicing approximately 600 total clients, 60 corporate returns and 40 full service clients with payroll, sales tax, bookkeeping and a variety of aforementioned services. This has been an evolution since Wik joined. He claims they “went from being a seasonal tax firm to having year-round work,” mainly because of the needs of their startup and small business clients.
The Challenge: The firm wanted to be able to handle an increased volume of work and not let anything slip through the cracks especially if someone were to leave such a small firm, taking a lot of processes and client knowledge with them. Ultimately, they wanted a tool to help them “keep it all together” when it came to its processes and overall client work.
The Process: Steve explains in this video, what they went through
The Discovery: [In Steve’s words]: We knew we needed something like Canopy, I knew something like this must exist in the accounting world, who is out there and doing it? So, I started investigating right when I got in the door. We immediately started testing things, we knew we needed that piece if I was going to come on board and be that cog to keep the gears moving everywhere to manage the processes and the people so I could see what’s going on and Jeff[the president] wasn’t pulled in every direction. In any firm, any small business really, it grows to the size of its owner. This needed to be a tool that could help him grow without him physically doing it all.
We were able to throw Canopy in play just before the pandemic hit. Because of the virtual content that it had, we could interact with our clients and upload what they needed to and we could exchange files without actually seeing people. In a way, we learned before we wanted to, but it came together and our team got better on it. We’re streamlining the different tasks we’re all going to do so that we’re not replicating that and trying to train someone new.
With 20 clients, maybe you could do all of this manually, but you start to get to 50 or more [which we have] and someone does leave [the firm] you’re going to lose that connection. Also, if someone new comes in, they can see how it worked the last time; the workpapers, the whole workflow, it makes it really easy [for a new hire] to pick things up and provide that same service.
The Results: The firm has doubled its small business services capacity, which includes 60 corporate returns, 40 of which are considered “full service” clients. The firm is also still purely referral business, with many of the “tax only” clients close to needing more services.
The Next Steps: Growth-wise, Steve explained that there is plenty of business to be had, but the “human capital is the only missing piece” and they would like to be able to add more staff over the next 18 months. The challenge, he says, is finding the right hires for their base of clients. He also believes the firm can double its revenue size in the next 18 months “with less people than we would have needed before because of the systems we have in place.”
They would also like at least another full-time accountant for next year to handle the core tax work. The firm had hired one (Tax Accounting Assistant, Emily Almeter) and Steve believes she can train the next individual so he and Jeff Schlabach can focus on other business, such as new client onboarding. After that? “It’s just going to be a matter of how much bigger do we want to get, we have the systems in place to do that.”
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الثلاثاء, 29 يونيو 2021 09:15
بعض أدوات جوجل المجانية التي تساعد العملاء في العثور على شركتك
ستساعد أدوات Google المجانية هذه العملاء المحتملين في العثور على شركتك
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
These free Google tools will help potential clients find your firm
By Lee Frederiksen
March 12, 2021, 1:12 p.m. EST
In today’s digital world, you can’t make an impact — or remain relevant — if your audience can’t find you. As Google continues to raise the bar for digital marketers and webmasters attempting to uncover the best search terms to attract traffic to their websites, their ability to find the right keywords to draw audiences to their websites has become key to maintaining a pipeline.
Google has made this job all the more difficult by denying access to organic search terms — a change the search engine giant reportedly made to protect individuals’ privacy. Whatever the reason, the result has been a reduction of as much as 90 percent of keyword data available for research. Much of that data is now being represented as “not provided.” Instead of having the luxury of seeing every keyword that drove traffic to their websites, organizations looking to optimize their digital content must now get creative to determine what keywords will work for their online strategies.
Simply stuffing content full of keywords is not a productive optimization strategy either.
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Search engines, in general, have become a lot smarter. By processing large numbers of queries over time, their algorithms have gotten better at determining searcher intent behind keywords, in particular,whya user is searching. They can then present the most appropriate results, not just offer up “exact-match” search results that may or may not be satisfactory.
Given the rising necessity of proper keywords to achieving greater search engine visibility and the growing number of hurdles to figuring out what keywords will work best to help achieve online marketing goals, any digital marketer worth their salt must be familiar with the tools of the trade. Fortunately, some of the most indispensable tools happen to be free. Let’s take a look at the six best free tools to help you identify the most appropriate keywords for optimizing your content:
Google Auto-Populate: This is the best place to start your keyword research because it reveals what searchers are thinking when they start typing their query. Auto-Populate works by anticipating what searchers are looking for when they start typing and filling in long-tail search terms for them, which searchers often use instead of finishing their own typing. This not only provides clues to popular long-tail search terms but reveals the kind of content that already exists around your topic of interest. Who better to give you suggestions about keyword opportunities than Google?
Google Related Searches: This is another tool that should be at the top of your list when starting your keyword research. Similar to Auto-Populate, this function provides “related searches” at the bottom of most search engine results pages (SERPs). It too reveals popular search terms that Google has already identified and can help you expand your research parameters through word associations.
Google Ads Keyword Planner: This is a good place to start focusing your search for a new keyword. Typing in a prospective keyword will yield data on the average monthly searches for that term, the competition, and a suggested bid price for it, as well as alternative suggested keywords and phrases. You don’t need to be considering a paid campaign to use this function — it’s helpful by showing you alternative keywords you might want to consider and the average monthly searches for the keywords you’re interested in.
Google Search Console: This is the tool for hardcore webmasters and SEO professionals. It reveals the top queries being searched as well as the top web pages returned through search. Search Console will show you both the top queries and the content that has driven the most traffic to your site over the same time period.
Google Trends: Once you’ve established interest in a particular search term, this tool will help you choose the optimal variation of it. You can also use it to compare and analyze the popularity of several variations of your search term over time and even view a forecast for certain terms.
Google Analytics: Just because a large chunk of organic search data is now labeled as “not provided” doesn’t mean Google Analytics can’t be helpful. There is a section under “Acquisition” that contains your Search Console data if you have linked up both platforms. If you look under “Search Console – Queries” you’ll find information similar to what’s in Search Console.
Although it’s become harder to determine what keywords and search terms will work best for your website and other online content, it’s still vital that you do so. It’s also important to remember that all the best keywords in the world won’t help if your content is not useful, valuable and shareable. If the right content is there, visitors will come, and the right keywords will help them find it.
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الخميس, 11 مارس 2021 12:54
اكتساب وقت ثمين من خلال التكنولوجيا
يكمن جمال الحركة الراديكالية في أنها كانت دائمًا قائمة على الابتكار
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
Gaining valuable time through tech
By Jody Padar
March 09, 2021, 11:51 a.m. EST
5 Min Read
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I have been talking about accounting firm transformation for so many years now that sometimes it seems like I’m on repeat. What was “radical” five or ten years ago — the cloud, for example — is now a reality for pretty much every firm.
The beauty of the radical movement is that it’s always been based on innovation. It used to be that we were waiting for tech to catch up so we could really go full throttle with transformation. But the tech we need to radically transform our firms and add back valuable time is already here. Here’s how to harness it.
The why
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Why should you invest in a best of breed tech stack? Why do you want to upend your current processes and migrate clients to a new model?
The truth is that inefficiency is costing you money and opportunities.
It’s harder to see in a firm that bills by the hour, but inefficiency is still there. Take last year — how many more of your clients came to you and your staff for help with everything from PPP loan forgiveness to cash flow forecasting? What other advisory services did you provide? If a firm wasn’t positioned to offer these services or didn’t have the capacity to offer them, that’s a problem. It’s hard to focus on advisory when you’re busy doing data entry and repetitive tasks.
If you know your people are busy, but you can’t tell if they’re efficient or even effective, there is a better way.
Data is the catalyst for change
What data, you might ask? Data gleaned from team surveys, interviews with key personnel and timesheets.
Information from data gathering can be grouped into four categories:
Pricing: Billing rates, scope mismanagement and allocation of hours;
People: Staff to manager ratio, communication, professional responsibilities and specialization;
Process: Documentation, silos, duplication and standardization; and
Technology: Replacing antiquated tasks with automated tech, in-house tech experts.
Your goal will be to look at each of these areas eventually, but transformation can still be achieved one area at a time. Let’s dive into each of these areas more.
Pricing
One of the many challenges with hourly billing is that hourly rates tend to remain stagnant year after year. As client size and/or scope increases, too often the billing rate stays the same. This in turn lowers the value capture.
That challenge is often made worse with scope creep; an area where teams need training. They need to be aware of what is included in an engagement and what’s not, and have the ability to communicate with the client and say, “I can absolutely help you with this, but it’s outside the scope of our engagement and I will need to charge for it.”
This is where pricing strategy comes in. Look at the services your current client base is buying and organize offerings into packages that align with those services. Make sure everyone knows the parameters of what’s included and encourage (and train) your team to communicate with clients better.
You also want to find out how hours are allocated across the firm. A common issue firms experience is that their highest value resources — partners and managers — are doing lower-value work. This drives up the cost of engagements and erodes profitability. What to do? Train your staff on how to deliver advisory services. Remove some of their workload with automated tech. It’s a win-win.
People
Speaking of staff, managers and partners, do you know what the staff-to-manager ratio is at your firm? You should. The top 25 CPA firms had an average 19:1 ratio as of 2018. If your firm moved closer to that benchmark, you’d likely see a contribution margin increase of around 60 percent. For that to happen, you will need to increase staff capacity by around 16 percent and shift 400 hours or so from partners and managers to staff. It can be done with tech.
You may also consider splitting up managers so they can specialize in a certain area. Specialization boosts value — it saves time, allows new services that can be developed and sold, and lets people thrive according to their skill set and personality. For example, a mid-size firm might have bookkeeping, accounting advisory and tech advisory as their three core areas. Restructuring processes is often the first stage in team specialization.
Process
Your goal here is to create standard processes that every team, office and department will follow. Without standardization, your clients can’t expect consistent results. Once you have your processes documented and standardized, how do you communicate that to the organization?
In this way, you can help guide clients toward best practices, instead of letting them decide how your workflow happens. (Paper receipts, anyone?)
Look for the results from staff surveys and stakeholder interviews. Identity silos, document every process for every service, and look for duplicates of any step in the process.
Tech
Last, but certainly not least, if there is an available tech option that automates an antiquated or repetitive process, run toward it with open arms. This will free up so much time within your firm.
You’ll also need people in your firm who are tech specialists. Not tech-certified CPAs, but more like in-house technicians with accounting backgrounds who understand how AI and tech impact accounting workflow. These people are leaders and will spearhead the firm’s tech-driven initiatives. You need an accounting tech visionary if you will.
Tech alone can’t fix broken processes, but when better tech plus standard processes, the result is like magic. As your firm integrates technology, the pricing model must evolve.
Automation tech lets firms scale up without adding more staff or hours. What does it take for a mid-size firm to sustain 2 percent quarterly growth? If a firm operates “as-is,” it cannot achieve that growth without hiring an additional staff person. However, a firm with substantial tech assistance can gain around 9,000 hours a year to reinvest in training, technology, advisory and growth.
After all, the business we’re in is bigger than accounting. Accounting is one piece of the entire pie.
If your vision for the firm doesn’t include filling hours with additional work, there’s something to be said about going home early. That too can be transformational in other ways.
How will you spend your time in 2021?
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الأربعاء, 21 سبتمبر 2022 13:25
احتفال المعهد الأمريكي للمحاسبين القانونيين باليوم العالمي للمرأة
في الثامن من شهر مارس الذي يصادف اليوم العالمي للمرأة، شاركت رابطة المحاسبين القانونيين الدوليين عددًا من النصائح للشركات من أجل تقديم دعم أفضل للمهنيات وتطويرهم
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
AICPA marks International Women's Day
By Sean McCabe
March 08, 2021, 12:27 p.m. EST
2 Min Read
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As March 8 marks International Women's Day, the Association of International CPAs shared a number of tips for firms to better support and advance female professionals.
“The global pandemic has highlighted the balancing act that women have performed for years managing their work and family lives,” said Crystal Cooke, director of diversity and inclusion for the Association and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, in a statement. “It’s incumbent that organizations recognize the challenges women face in their career progression and put practices into place to support their success.”
The focus on female professionals comes at a time when women make up more than half of all staff members in U.S. firms, but represent less than a quarter of partners and executive leadership. A report from the California Society of CPAs and the Institute of Management Accountants also found that 43 to 55 percent of female, nonwhite and LGBTQIA respondents polled have left a U.S. accounting firm due to a perceived lack of equitable treatment.
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The AICPA offers the following tips, based on responses from the recipients of its 2020 Most Powerful Women in Accounting Awards:
Be flexible: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to change the way we work and manage our lives. A study by McKinsey & Company found that 70 percent of women said childcare was their biggest concern compared to 40 percent of men. Employers should understand the added stress that comes from managing household responsibilities with the demands of work. This will likely require thinking outside the box for equitable and realistic solutions, such as flexible workhours or split days.
Make it OK to say “no”: Create an environment where those who are overwhelmed feel safe, and will not feel penalized or judged, for saying “no” to additional projects or responsibilities. Encourage women to ask for help when they need it and the option of taking wellness breaks to move, meditate, practice gratitude and embrace this time with their families.
Offer support: Show concern for your employees and offer them the support they need. Ask the important questions and really listen to responses: "How are you doing?" and "What can we do to assist you?" Then find a way to provide the support needed, which again could be unconventional.
Emphasize well-being and self-care: For nearly a year, your employees have largely lived the same day over and over. Many are juggling all their responsibilities, which have now seeped into their workday and therefore resulted in no boundaries. It’s important that you help the women in your organization find ways to successfully manage their mental health, stress and energy levels and to take some joy out of each day.
Be more inclusive: Look around you in important leadership meetings — online or in person. Are women and people of color (POC) well-represented? If not, reshape your invitation lists and include women and POC in meetings where strategy, vision and business critical decisions are being made, even if they aren’t partners yet. If you are unsure of how inclusive your organization is, the AICPA’s Accounting Inclusion Maturity Model can help identify areas of improvement
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الأربعاء, 21 سبتمبر 2022 13:21
آداب البريد الإلكتروني
فيما يلي قائمة بنصائح آداب البريد الإلكتروني التي يجب أن تمارسها يوميًا
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
Email etiquette
By Edward Mendlowitz
March 1, 2021 12:07 PM
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Every Monday morning William R. Hagaman Jr., Withum’s managing partner and CEO, sends us a message which is insightful, motivating, interesting or informative. It’s a good way for him to connect and also have us start the week. The following is copied from one of his emails, and he allowed me to post it since I believe it has some practical sensible information for everyone. Here it is.
While email is the most expeditious way to communicate, we have to be mindful and thoughtful about what we choose to share before clicking send. Additionally, the sheer volume of messages we're reading and writing each day can be overwhelming. Here is a list of email etiquette tips you should practice daily:
Remember that nothing is truly ‘confidential’ in an email
Email Follow-upOne of the most valuable pieces of advice received during my career has been to never put something in an email that I wouldn’t want to have appear on the front page of The New York Times. Possibly if some emails you send are forwarded to unintended parties it might cause big problems with clients, the firm or team members. The internal discussion about our work papers or technical positions that clients are proposing to take should be kept out of emails since this is time-sensitive information that will most likely change upon conclusion of the engagement. Often these types of emails can be read and interpreted differently than was originally intended, and then can be used against us in the event of a future conflict. This can result in some stressful moments if our advice is challenged or an email winds up as part of litigation. Email can be retrieved even after you have deleted it from your inbox, and emails can sit on client servers or on hard drives of business associates for years, so please be mindful and careful of content. Pick up the phone if you want to share highly confidential or sensitive information.
Don’t send an email when you are angry
We all have those times when we get excited or angry at someone and want to let them know our feelings via email. While I admit sometimes you need to respond to emails that push your buttons to ‘set the record straight,’ the best process is always to write the response and then step away from your inbox, sleep on it and reread it in the morning. This can be cathartic by allowing you to vent, but with some time to “cool off” it allows you to correct your tone and make your point without looking defensive or creating an email dialogue you will regret.
Be cautious with humor and tone
Humor can easily get lost in translation without the right tone or facial expressions. Something that you think is funny might not be funny to someone else. When in doubt, leave it out. Which is why my emails are so boring. ?
Think twice before hitting reply all
No one wants to read emails from 20 people that have nothing to do with them. Ignoring the emails can be difficult, with many people getting notifications of new messages on their smartphones or distracting pop-up messages on their computer screens. Refrain from hitting reply all unless you really think everyone on the list needs to receive the email.
Include a clear, direct subject line
Examples of a good subject line include "Meeting date changed," "Quick question about your tax return," or "Suggestions for the proposal.” People often decide whether to open an email based on the subject line.
Include a branded signature block
We will be hearing from the marketing team this week on how to update your email signature properly, to include critical information and guidance on promoting your personal brand. (This should be adapted for your firm.)
Reply to an email that wasn't intended for you
When an email is accidentally sent to you, remember the sender is expecting a reply from the intended recipient. Simply respond with something like: "I know you're very busy, but I don't think you meant to send this email to me. Letting you know so you can send it to the correct person."
Proofread every message
Your mistakes won't go unnoticed by the recipients of your email. Use spell-check often, and reread important emails a couple of times, preferably aloud, before sending them off. It will keep you from making blunders like “sorry for the incontinence” when you meant to say “sorry for the inconvenience.”
Add the email address last
You don't want to send an email accidentally before you have finished writing and proofing the message.
Double-check that you've selected the correct recipient, and the right message
This is particularly applicable when responding from your phone. You may be including the entire firm in a response meant for one person. You may also be inadvertently forwarding an email stream you didn’t mean to share.
Double-check your attachment before sending
Open it to make sure you attached the right file or the right version. The few added seconds could possibly save you embarrassment or from sending something you shouldn’t have.
Sometimes it is much easier to call rather than type an email
Think about calling before replying to some of your emails, plus it creates a personal connection that email can’t.
While this message is yet one more email to read, its intent is to help us from sending and receiving unnecessary or inappropriate emails in the future.
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الثلاثاء, 24 مايو 2022 07:15
إنفوجرافيك.. أربعة أخطاء شائعة يجب تجنبها عند اختيار إدارة الشركاء
أربعة أخطاء شائعة يجب تجنبها عند اختيار إدارة الشركاء
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إنفوجرافيك
موسومة تحت
الأربعاء, 21 سبتمبر 2022 13:16
بناء خارطة طريق للنجاح
مهنة تدقيق أفضل
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
Step 1: Establish Your Starting Point — Know Where You Are
Explore how you feel about your current role, brand, talents, strengths, weaknesses, and competency level. Be introspective and ask yourself: Am I satisfied with my role and how others view me? What knowledge, skills, and abilities do I bring to the table?
To better understand your knowledge and abilities, assess your current competency with The IIA's Internal Audit Competency Framework. Determine your competency level within the 22 knowledge areas among four disciplines: Professionalism, Performance, Environment, and Leadership and Communications.
Step 2: Set Your Direction — Identify Where You Want to Go
Remember what it felt like in college once you determined your major and knew your end goal? Career development planning can provide you with that same sense of direction. You can pinpoint both interim stops and the ultimate destination for your career over the next five years while building your plan. Some simple actions to help you set your direction include:
Discuss career opportunities with supervisors, colleagues, and mentors.
Share interests and seek insights on their perceptions of you, your performance, and your potential.
Reflect on your current organizational environment. How is it evolving to meet stakeholder needs? How are expectations of your role and function changing, and how can you add value?
In addition, ask yourself these questions to set your direction:
Is my immediate focus on developing new skills to enrich my current job performance?
Is my next career step lateral, up, or over in another organization? What experiences do I need?
What specific role do you have your sights set on? What skills do you need to develop?
What do I want to achieve in the next one, three, and five years?
Step 3: Plan Your Journey — Explore How You Will Get There
Remember, no two career journeys are the same. While you may move through the same sequence of roles as another person, you have unique strengths and development opportunities to leverage. Map your path by exploring the requirements and competencies for the positions you aspire to over the next five years. Focus on capitalizing on your strengths and addressing opportunities to get where you want to be. Review the job descriptions that interest you the most to:
Determine the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics you need to secure those positions.
Identify the specific skills, experiences, and knowledge you need to acquire for your year one, year three, and year five stops on your career journey.
Use the Internal Audit Competency Framework to identify competency gaps.
Step 4: Map Your Route — Document Actions, Measures, and Timelines
Commit to achieving your career goals — document the specific actions you will take, timelines for completion, and how each activity supports your objectives. Determine which activities will be most beneficial to you on your career journey. These activities might include:
Staying up-to-date on practices, knowledge, and emerging trends in the profession through online content, news sources, publications, and more.
Pursuing additional education, training, or professional certification.
Engaging in mentoring programs as a mentor or mentee.
Participating in networking and volunteering activities.
Assuming additional tasks or challenging responsibilities within your current role.
Leading collaborative projects, developing reports, and presenting findings.
Step 5: Monitor Your Progress and Course-correct
Create an accountability mechanism by sharing your plan with a supervisor or mentor, and discuss your progress quarterly to stay on track with your career journey. You may encounter detours, roadblocks, or take side roads, so establishing regular check-ins with those you admire and respect can help you course-correct or adjust your plan to accommodate new destinations.
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الثلاثاء, 24 مايو 2022 07:17
إنفوجرافيك.. قائمة مهامك لنجاح شركتك في 2021
مهما كانت خططك لعام 2020، فمن المحتمل أن تكون قد تعطلت بسبب أحداث العام، لذلك عليك أن تحاول من جديد لعام 2021.
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الأربعاء, 21 سبتمبر 2022 13:07
نصائح واتجاهات التوظيف لعام 2021
من التوسع المفاجئ في العمل عن بُعد إلى طلبات خدمة العملاء الجديدة، كان لوباء COVID-19 آثار كبيرة على كيفية قيام شركات المحاسبة بأعمالها
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المحتوى بالإنجليزية
The Future of Finance: Hiring Tips And Trends For 2021
From the sudden expansion in remote working to new client service requests, the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant effects on how CPA firms do business. And while many disruptions might be behind us, the aftershocks will rumble on for some time.
Paul McDonald
Pandemic-driven changes creating benefits
As leaders scrambled to put new processes in place to navigate the effects of COVID-19 on the business, they have made progress in a number of areas. In a survey of senior managers:
41% say leadership communication is better now than it was pre-pandemic
37% think collaboration has improved
31% feel like there’s been substantial innovation over the past few months
Perhaps the most positive development is the way some companies have reimagined the hiring process. Of companies asked about their hiring methods in the age of social distancing:
57% are conducting interviews and onboarding remotely
40% have shortened the end-to-end hiring process
38% have advertised fully remote positions
These changes can help you act quickly and decisively when you’ve identified the right candidate for a position. And the prevalence of remote working means you can look further afield for skilled staff, giving your company access to a deeper pool of talent.
Accounting staff are in demand
One aspect hasn’t changed: It’s still a competitive hiring market for financial talent. You’ll have to fight hard for the best performers because many companies are ramping up recruitment. For example:
● Public accountants are a lifeline for small and midsize businesses right now. They’re helping clients navigate unpredictable cashflows, as well as shifting compliance requirements.
● Corporate accountants are tasked with finding new efficiencies that will keep businesses viable during financial turbulence.
● Government accounting departments have been forced to scale up quickly to address a raft of unprecedented financial aid packages.
● Financial services institutions are helping clients secure credit and reorganize liabilities during tough times.
● Healthcare companies need staff to deal with billing, reconciliations and new payment processes.
Retention still a concern
Skilled professionals are making career moves, even during a pandemic, and retention remains paramount. Unemployment is higher, but not that high for those with specialized skill sets, so in-demand accountants could be tempted to join another company. For businesses with currently lean staff levels, even the loss of a single skilled professional could be a serious blow.
In a separate Robert Half survey highlighted in the 2021 Salary Guide, more than eight in 10 managers said they are worried about losing valued employees. Here are their primary concerns:
· 55% are worried about losing staff over morale-related issues
· 50% have employees who are facing burnout from heavy workloads
· 37% imposed salary cuts with no prospect of raises in the immediate future
Salaries remain stable
Median salaries are fairly stable across the board, though (as ever) the best candidates in the hottest sectors will be looking to negotiate a bump in pay. Use the Robert Half salary calculator to ensure you’re paying at least market value for your region.
Remote work is the new normal
The pandemic sparked a mass exodus from corporate to home offices. This was jarring for many workers, but research in the guide suggests that few employees are in a hurry to get back to company HQ. Almost three in four workers say they want to keep working from home after the pandemic.
When hiring, you’ll need to balance the desire of highly skilled candidates to work from home with the needs of the organization. Fortunately, you’ll be in a much better position to make these calls than you were in late March, since your firm should now have more data and anecdotal evidence to draw on regarding the productivity and morale of remote workers across your teams.
Tech skills are essential …
If you’re looking to add to your remote teams, new recruits should be tech savvy and capable of learning new systems with little or no in-person training. They need to be able to work with cloud-based systems, understand IT security protocols and be comfortable using digital communication tools. Home-based workers also need to have the basic IT skills to solve common computer and networking issues, as they won’t have hands-on support from a helpdesk technician.
However, while it’s easy to be dazzled by the new and exciting world of remote working, keep in mind that collaborative platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams are much easier to master than specialized accounting software. Microsoft Excel, QuickBooks (for smaller businesses), enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and similar applications remain the gold standards, and you should assess candidates’ resumes accordingly.
… but so are soft skills
When is an Excel wizard with a fully equipped home office wrong for your organization? Perhaps when their track record or interview performance suggest that they struggle to collaborate with colleagues, or that they find it difficult to adapt to changing goals and circumstances. In these challenging times, soft skills such as critical thinking, resilience and flexibility can be every bit as important as technical expertise.
The need for these attributes is not driven just by the pandemic. As new technology such as AI becomes an integral part of finance jobs, you’ll place a greater emphasis on the kind of human values that can’t be replaced by an algorithm.
Flexible staffing is the future
Flexible staffing — an adjustable mix of full-time and interim professionals — is a strategy many companies have long been using to temporarily access specialized expertise and scale their teams as needed without overburdening full-time staff. It is tailor made for the current situation. Asked why they worked with interim professionals, more than a third of senior managers said it was to remain agile during the economic turmoil.
Predicting the future has never been harder. But if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that uncertain times reward companies that are nimble and innovative.
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