5 ways gender bias plays out at cpa firms

business meeting of a woman and two menthe harmful impact of gender bias on women’s careers.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

gender bias reflects entrenched beliefs and assumptions about women based on stereotypes about appropriate roles and behaviors for women.

unconscious thoughts about the kinds of work women are and are not suited for, especially if they are mothers, remove highly qualified women from consideration for leadership opportunities and positions.

ida o. abbott, sponsoring women
abbott

more on sponsoring women for leadership: 3 reasons why men don’t pick women protégées | men advance 2 to 1 over women without sponsors | 18 ways sponsors can help their protegees | the 6 market advantages of women-led firms | beyond mentoring: why sponsoring women for leadership matters

in the past, working women suffered overt discrimination and explicit bias. they were told outright they were not “fit” for certain jobs, were too emotional and unreliable to be given responsible roles, and were taking the place of men who needed to support families. sometimes the bias was ostensibly intended to “protect” women and occasionally it was hostile. but it was out in the open and women understood the barriers they faced. read more →

partner aging strikes smaller firms the hardest

older man and younger man in meetingas partners work longer, average partner incomes decline.

the aging in the partner ranks of the cpa profession is by far most prominent at  smaller firms, according to the most recent edition “the national map survey of cpa firm statistics.

at firms with less than $2 million in fees, the percentage of partners over the age of 50 has risen to a startling 73.3 percent, up from 65.4 percent last year.

and at firms with fees of $2 million to $10 million, the number has risen to 66 percent from 65.3 percent. read more →

3 reasons why men don’t pick women protégées

woman and man working with calculatorwhen leadership models are male, sometimes female candidates go unrecognized.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

let’s assume a powerful man works with two junior colleagues, a man and a woman, who are both equally talented, motivated and superbly skilled performers. according to what we know from research and experience, that powerful man is more likely to sponsor the man than the woman.

more on sponsoring women for leadership: men advance 2 to 1 over women without sponsors | 18 ways sponsors can help their protegees | the 6 market advantages of women-led firms | beyond mentoring: why sponsoring women for leadership matters read more →

what does being a partner mean?

aquila how to engage partners in the firms future clip square cvrpartners persuade their people to join them on the journey and to play a part in building a better firm.

by robert j.  lees and 
august j. aquila
creating the effective partnership

just as the partners need to engage with the firm’s vision so do the firm’s people. but, like everyone, they actually engage with people not words. so, effective partners continually engage with their people, regardless of their level and role. they go out of their way to create a personal bond, sharing personal information and operating with honesty and integrity in all of their interactions.

creating the effective partnership: every partner’s first question: ‘what’s in it for me?’ | the 9 building blocks of a winning vision that the big four have discovered | the politics of an accounting firm partnership | nine rules to creating highly effective partnership teams | audacious vision and grand purpose prove essential to cpa success | are you creating a sustainable firm? | the debilitating effects of denial at accounting firms | the five psychological hurdles that cpa firms must confront today read more →

accounting salaries to rise 3.5%

rhpublicaccountingsalarychart2top trends: flexible staffing, retention challenges.

accounting and finance professionals can expect starting salaries to rise an average of 3.5 percent in the coming year, according to a study from a leading staffing services company.

creative and marketing professionals are on the same pace, while information technology workers lead the work force gains at an anticipated 5.7 percent overall increase. overall, u.s. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase an average of 3.8 percent next year. read more →

tax and accounting industry on hiring binge

profession adds 1,400 new jobs in latest month.
next question: who’s hiring; who’s not. join the survey; get the answers.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

jennifer dizon
dizon

with practitioners across the country reporting strong demand for new hires, the nation’s tax, accounting and bookkeeping industries added 1,400 new jobs last month, with some sectors marking new highs for 2014 and approaching the pre-crash peak six years ago.

jennifer dizon, an audit and advisory partner at hood & strong’s san jose, calif., office, tells 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 her firm is looking to hire.

“we need more staff to service business growth,” says dizon, who is also the newly elected state chapter president of the national association of women business owners.

terri ryman
ryman

in elkhart, kan., enrolled agent terri ryman at southwest tax & accounting says the office is “getting busier.” she “can’t keep up.”

in northridge, calif., gene wechsler at wechsler accountancy reports a similar trend. “the firm continues to grow at the rate of 1 to 2 new clients per week.”

needs vary though. “we need an additional tax preparer and accountant for small business monthly work,” says one of the owners of a seven-person firm in prescott, ariz., which is “currently advertising for an accountant/tax preparer.”

marc hutchinson
hutchinson

in bellevue, wash., managing partner marc hutchinson at the six-cpa bashey, hutchinson, & walter reports, “we need experienced accountants, and ones that can take over the firm’s clients over the next 10 years.”

in this study, 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa firm segments of the industry.
  • average hourly wages for key segments.
  • typical hours worked per week.
  • and trends concerning women in the accounting workforce.

the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 careers and hiring outlook
join the survey; get the results.

read more →

18 ways sponsors can help their protegees

and how to tell the difference between a mentor and a sponsor.

ida o. abbott, sponsoring women
abbott

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

the practice of mentorship is well known and well established in today’s workplace. a mentor is someone who helps a more junior person learn, develop and achieve her professional goals.

mentoring is the process by which the mentor and mentee work together to identify and help the mentee move toward those goals. but sponsorship is intended specifically to promote career advancement. read more →

the 6 market advantages of women-led firms

ida o. abbott, sponsoring women
abbott

changing marketplace demands changing firms.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

most male leaders today under­stand how important it is to keep high-performing women in the pipeline and help them achieve their potential within the organization.

more on women in accounting: men, women: a tale of two brains for business  |  beyond mentoring: why sponsoring women for leadership matters  |  firms that ‘get’ women stand to win the talent wars

these men are genuinely concerned about their firms’ inability to retain and advance the women they hire because having a substantial number of women leaders is a demonstrably significant benefit to the company, while a lack of gender diversity at the top of organizations can be very costly to the bottom line. read more →

beyond mentoring: why sponsoring women for leadership matters

man woman handshake shake hands istock_000010387373smallit’s time for the men running cpa firms to “man up” and get serious about promoting women into leadership roles.

by ida o. abbott
sponsoring women: what men need to know

smart accounting firm leaders want to be in the forefront of efforts to advance women. as the global economy continues to become more competitive, firms need to use all the talent they can muster — and more and more of that talent will be women.

ida o. abbott, sponsoring women
abbott

today cpatrendlines launches the exclusive new series, “sponsoring women: what men need to know.” author ida o. abbott delivers the tools cpa firms need to develop a new generation of women in leadership. training, encouragement, and even mentoring are all helpful. but abbott argues it takes person-to-person sponsorship to finally break through. particularly, she says, it takes a man. the role of women in the cpa profession is a critical issue. abbott’s is an eminently practical strategy. and it’s about time that men “manned up” about promoting women cpas. – the editors

companies that successfully tap into the full potential of women will be far ahead of their competitors. the key to doing it is to identify women who are likely to succeed and sponsor them so they reach the top levels of leadership. this requires direct per­sonal involvement by leaders, particularly leaders who are men.

read more →

new data: strong, steady hiring at tax, accounting firms

tax, accounting and bookkeeping employment, through august 2014
tax, accounting and bookkeeping employment, through august 2014

the u.s. tax, accounting and bookkeeping industry remains a bright spot in the nation’s economy, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.

here 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa segments of the industry.
  • average hourly wages for key segments.
  • typical hours worked per week.
  • and trends concerning women in the accounting workforce.

overall, the u.s. economy added 142,000 jobs last month, 47,000 of them in professional and business services. meanwhile, the unemployment rate was little changed at 6.1 percent.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 careers and hiring outlook
job satisfaction and retention benchmarks

join the survey get the results button 24pt

read more →

44 critical criteria for accounting staff performance evaluations

question: do you work from a checklist when you’re conducting staff performance appraisals?

response: silly question. checklists? do i have checklists?

seriously, staffing is a big concern, and i believe many smaller firms settle and hire the wrong people, which i’ve written about and probably beaten to death expressing my views.

more practice doctor q&a: why i don’t hire on experience  |  5 time management tips for an overworked accountant  |  staff training starts with doing something  |  11 business-getting tips for the young staffer  |  when staffers don’t listen to you  |  questions and answers on selling a practice to staff members  |  measuring growth in yourself, staff and partners  |  complaining client? no wonder!

here is a checklist to get you started.

read more →

accounting sector tops 5% annual growth rate

firms now recovered about 9 in 10 jobs lost in financial collapse.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间

the u.s. tax, accounting and bookkeeping industries have recovered nearly 89 percent of the jobs lost in the economic crisis, according to 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 sources.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 careers and hiring outlook

job satisfaction and retention benchmarks

join the survey get the results button 24pt

 

here 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 reports on:

  • current hiring trends in each of the bookkeeping, tax, payroll and cpa segments of the industry.
  • average hourly wages for key segments.
  • typical hours worked per week.
  • and trends concerning women in the accounting workforce.

the u.s. economy as a whole added 209,000 jobs in july. in addition to the growth of 47,000 jobs in professional and business services, increases were seen in the manufacturing, retail trade and construction sectors. the unemployment rate remained stable at 6.2 percent, down from 7.3 percent a year earlier. read more →