CFOs Say Sloppy Work is Biggest Peeve

Want to get on your manager’s good side? Don’t let the details slide. In a new survey by staffing firm Accountemps, more than one-third (35 percent) of CFOs cited lacking attention to detail or sloppy work as the most annoying behavior by coworkers.

For 28 percent of respondents, gossiping or engaging in office politics was their biggest pet peeve, marking a five percent increase from a similar survey in 2011.

CFOs were asked, “Which one of the following coworker behaviors annoys you the most?” Their responses:

Lacking attention to detail or sloppy work	35%
Gossiping or engaging in office politics	28%
Missing deadlines	17%
Being perpetually late	12%
Presenting other’s ideas as one’s own	8%
	100%

View an infographic with the survey results.

“Staff members shouldn’t rely on others to catch their mistakes,” said Bill Driscoll, a district president for Accountemps. “Organizations benefit when employees slow down to review a project carefully before submitting because there is less need for revisions later and reduced risk that uncaught mistakes damage the companies’ reputation. Hitting the ‘pause button’ also allows professionals to think about how they work, and whether there are better and more innovative approaches they can take.”

To meet expectations for work quality — and avoid earning a reputation as a sloppy worker — Accountemps suggests professionals apply the following five strategies:

Reduce distractions. Checking emails while proofreading a critical report or perusing social media while performing complicated calculations can lead to embarrassing mistakes. Set aside dedicated time to focus solely on a task, while avoiding outside “noise” like texts and emails.
Simplify big projects. Large and complex assignments can be overwhelming — which can, in turn, lead to procrastination. In the mad dash to meet a deadline, mistakes can easily be made. Avoid this scenario by dividing work into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Take a break. Spending long hours on the computer can be exhausting. A short pause during the workday or stepping out of the office can help give fresh perspective when returning later to the assignment.
Enlist help from coworkers. Build time into the process for a trusted colleague to provide a “second pair of eyes” to check accuracy and work quality. Be sure to acknowledge that person’s contributions and reciprocate in the future.
Take time to assess expectations. Meet briefly with your manager at the start of a complex assignment to discuss goals and clarify any outstanding issues.

The survey was developed by Accountemps and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 2,200 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in more than 20 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas.

Accounting