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Hiring the right people is only the beginning. Accounting firms also need to help new hires quickly understand the firm’s culture, workflows, technology, client expectations, and their role.
Without a clear onboarding process, employees may depend too heavily on managers and take longer to become productive. Structured training and centralized resources can make the transition easier for everyone.
Ace Cloud Hosting spoke with Seth Fineberg, founder of Accountants Forward and an accounting industry consultant, content strategist, and speaker.
With more than 30 years of experience observing the profession, Seth brings a practical view of how firms can better support new employees.
In this Q&A, Seth discusses common onboarding gaps, the role of training and centralized knowledge, manager support, and how firms can onboard effectively even during the busy season.
What do accounting firms most often get wrong when onboarding new hires, and where do you typically see the biggest gaps?
The responses I’ve heard on this vary. One thing is that there’s not often a central source of information within the firm that can help with less 1:1 time and answer every question (most, anyway) that comes up from new hires. Those can range from HR related matters to processes and systems.
Not every firm has this, and, as such, it eats into personal time to get those individuals acclimated and truly ramped up. This isn’t to say there should be no 1:1 interaction, but if there were a central resource for all of the above, it would cut down on the time dramatically.
Accounting firms have complex workflows, client expectations, and technology stacks. How can they get new employees productive quickly without overwhelming them?
The simple answer here is training. Make it a regular part of what your firm does, especially in onboarding, but even beyond that, as the firm may grow or change, even if new technology and processes are added. In short, being proactive vs reactive, especially if you do have considerably complex workflows or platforms staff have not really worked on often, or at all.
Just like anything in your firm, if you have some foresight and work training into your regular functions, it can save a lot of strife and keep staff productive. Try it in a rolling way, so that if you have 15 staff, maybe 3-5 are working in training at a time in a month, and the next a few weeks later, and so forth. And then, as above, keep a centralized FAQ or resource when questions or issues do come up.
What should a new hire understand about the firm, its clients, and their role within the first 30 days?
Out of the gate, it should be the firm’s mission and vision made clear. All of that is like a wrapper around what the culture is. Why you do what you do, how it’s done, and what the expectations are from an individual and group basis. How clients are handled, what your workflows and processes are, and really all of the mission-critical things.
Be flexible, honest, and supportive. It may seem trite, but you are a team after all. Make sure they know that, as well as where and how answers can be found.
What role should managers, mentors, and onboarding buddies play in helping new employees settle in and build confidence?
I think, as mentioned above, that there is (or should be) a team mentality. Set healthy boundaries, but in speaking to firm leaders from successful firms, everyone understands their roles, and those are often connected. Knowing you and your team are there to support them in their successes and failures will also help them settle in and build confidence.
Tax season can leave little time for training. How should firms approach onboarding when managers and teams are already stretched?
I would, again, refer to the above. If you have centralized resources for any questions on processes and policies, it will cut the 1:1 time or time away from other projects, especially at the busiest times. This cannot be stressed enough, as too often, it is one or two individuals who tend to have many of these answers, just not always the time to answer them if they are busy or out or even leave the firm. All the more reason to have this information centralized on a server or other accessible location.
Related Reading: How To Address the Growing Skills Gap During Tax Season?
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Build an Onboarding Process That Grows with Your Firm
A strong onboarding process should not rely on a few experienced employees holding all the answers. Firms need documented processes, accessible resources, and regular knowledge sharing so new hires can find guidance when they need it.
This becomes even more important during busy periods, when managers have limited time to answer routine questions. Giving new employees consistent access to the applications, files, and resources they need can also help reduce friction during their first few weeks.
For firms reviewing how employees access accounting applications and shared resources, cloud solutions for accounting firms can offer useful context for supporting a more accessible work environment.
The goal is to build an onboarding process that remains practical, consistent, and easy to manage as teams and operations evolve.
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