Ohio Accounting Firms Get Creative to Attract New Professionals

Dotting the ‘i’ for script Ohio in The Ohio State University marching band was a longtime dream for Neil Steffens. That dream came true this past September in part because Steffen’s employer, Clark Schaefer Hackett, a regional CPA firm, was open to a flexible work arrangement as Steffens was transitioning from accounting grad to full-time tax accountant.

Arrangements like Steffens’ are becoming more common as the race for top talent has intensified in many professions. Companies are competing in a limited talent pool, and pulling out all the stops to attract and retain the most qualified candidates.

According to an EY survey, flexibility ranked second only to competitive pay and benefits when employees evaluate a potential job opportunity.

Flexibility was top of mind for Steffens, an accounting grad searching for his first job out of college. He had a special situation, as he explains in this video from The Ohio Society of CPAs. Despite having graduated from The Ohio State University, he was still a member of the OSU marching band and had the opportunity to dot the ‘i’ during the Script Ohio band performance, a special honor reserved only for fourth-year sousaphone section members. He will make a repeat performance this Saturday during OSU’s last home game of the season against Michigan State.

“I was going to dot the ‘i’ no matter what, even if it meant putting my life on hold,” Steffens said.

The band requires a huge time commitment, one that would interfere with a normal work schedule. Steffens approached his job search by only considering employers that would accommodate his practice schedule. Clark Schaefer Hackett, a large regional CPA firm in Ohio, fit the bill.

“For Neil and others who are granted opportunities like this it comes down to trust,” said Ed Walsh, CPA, shareholder-in-charge of the firm’s Columbus office. “He trusts us to allow him the flexibility to pursue his passions, and we trust that he’ll make it all work when it comes to helping us serve our clients.”

As job seekers, particularly millennials, continue to value flexibility, employers are bending to meet market demand. Walsh believes the key to making flexible arrangements work for both employer and employee is evaluating each request one at a time, to ensure the company can meet its needs. Open dialogue and clear communication about expectations are also imperative.

“Great people are hard to find,” Walsh said. “And when we hire those people we’re not just thinking about how to keep them happy for 6-12 months. More and more we really think long term, and what can we do to make this a place where people want to stay.”

“It was awesome to find Clark Schaefer Hackett and be able to earn a living while also accomplishing my dream,” Steffens said. “It’s one thing to say ‘We’re going to allow you to have a work life balance,’ but it’s another thing to truly support what you do outside of work.”

Steffens is a master at juggling responsibilities. In addition to marching in the band and working full-time in the firm’s tax practice, he is studying to pass the four-part national CPA exam. Some would say that’s a full time job by itself.

Workplace flexibility is one of several talent management topics featured in OSCPA’s video Spotlight series. The latest episode features Neil’s story and a profile of Kaiser Consulting, a Powell, Ohio-based firm founded on the concept of offering employees control over their schedules.

The Ohio Society of CPAs is a leading partner and influential voice for a thriving business environment. We empower Ohio’s 30,000 CPAs and financial professionals to drive value as trusted business advisors by advancing advocacy and education programs that strengthen Ohio’s tax and business climate and make our state a friendlier place to live and do business.

Firm Management