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Slaves or Knowledge Workers?

Ron Baker - 02/29/2008

Friend of VeraSage Brenda Richter, who maintains her own blog, wrote to ask that I post about this question from a Young CPA to AccountingWeb regarding tax season commitment.

You can see the comment Brenda made on the Site, and here’s what she wrote us:

A few weeks ago a young professional knowledge worker wrote to accountingweb because she was bewildered over her firm’s attitude toward tax season hours.  It appears that she would rather come to work at 5 am much earlier than the others and then go home earlier than everyone else.  The partners at her firm think she’s being a “slacker.”

I am reminded of Dan’s Work-Life Balance is PC for “Slacker” article, and quite frankly, anyone who is willing to be at work at 5 am is hardly a slacker.

Please give consideration to going to accountingweb and giving her the support she needs to finish tax season and then find a firm that will respect her as a professional knowledge worker.

It’s hard to believe firms are out there treating people this way, while wondering why they can’t find and inspire good people. 

It’s not the people, it’s the crappy organizations they are forced to work in, with conditions redolent of sweatshops.

There’s probably a potential knowledge worker here open to a better working environment.

Comments | 1 Trackback | Permalink | Knowledge Workers Choose an Industry: Accounting

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"Slaves or Knowledge Workers?" By Ron Baker: Friend of VeraSage Brenda Richter, who maintains her own blog, wrote to ask that I post about this question from a Young CPA to AccountingWeb regarding tax season commitment. You can see the comment Brenda made on
Tracked on: Accountants Round Up (204.9.178.8) at 2008 02 29 15:34:16
robert fligel

Please send this “slacker” my way. I am a headhunter (and M&A;consultant) for the public accounting firms and I have many clients who would hire her.

I was much the same when I practiced as a CPA xx (too many) years ago preferring to come in very early and leave at a reasonable time due to a desire to see my family.

Unfortunately, what was expected then and maybe still today in some firms is for the staffer to both come in early and stay late.

Luckily, there are many firms and not just the Big 4 and nationals, that are respectful of a work like balance. 

Please check out my blog at
http://rf-resources.com/index.php/site/blog/

Richard Muscio

How’s this for the effects of the Almighty
Billable Hour:  my personal trainer’s fiancee
is really stressed out about their May 17th wedding.  No, not because she’s unsure if she
should get married and no not because of all
of the details.  Rather, she’s stressed out
about her wedding because of the ABH.

She works at a large law firm.  And she already knows, because of the wedding preparation and then their honeymoon, that she won’t remotely come close to hitting her
chargeable hour goals for April and May.

So she knows she will be working lots of overtime in June and July to make up for
what her boss calls “this lost time.”
And so she is really stressed out.

How’s that for getting one’s marriage off to
a good start, thanks to the ABH.

Emily Coltman

I used to work for a big blue chip firm.  My location meant a drive round the M25 (London Orbital motorway) every morning.

So I asked if I could work 8 till 4 instead of 9 till 5, to miss the worst of the traffic.  My boss agreed.  And I made sure I was at my desk by 8 every morning.

But then when I left at 4 I got questions like “Where are you going?” and “You can’t leave at 4, you must stay beyond that if you want to get on?  It doesn’t matter what your contract says.”

That attitude is terrible and is one of the reasons why I would never have even considered a career in the Big 4.  Sure I’m happy to work extra hours when needed, but not just for the sake of it.

And the boss who’s penalising a woman for taking time off to get married and have a honeymoon needs what my last boss calls a check up from the neck up.  What a disgusting way to treat your staff.

M

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