Accounting Firm DHG to Adopt New Hybrid Workforce Model

The accounting and business advisory services firm DHG will move to a new hybrid workforce model, called DHG Anywhere, with its employees aligned to a hybrid or virtual working model in September 2021. DHG Anywhere creates the flexibility team members desire within reasonable boundaries, coined “Freedom Within a Framework.” This new framework is especially transformative for the professional services industry, which traditionally prioritized in-person work given the apprenticeship nature of the industry.

“DHG has long considered flexibility a hallmark of its culture with trust, a key value of the firm, as its foundation. Trust is at the core of DHG Anywhere. We trust – and know from pandemic performance – our people have been providing excellent client service and have remained productive, so we see no reason to reduce this flexibility. We look forward to this next chapter on our journey to be the Firm of the Future,” explained Matt Snow, CEO.

DHG consistently pulsed team members throughout the pandemic to gauge their feedback on the firm’s re-entry plan. The majority of DHG team members noted they prefer a hybrid model and hoped to incorporate more flexibility in the future. The firm assembled a taskforce of more than 60 people across the firm to design a flexible workforce strategy that incorporated how to best serve clients and maintain the firm’s unique culture.

“When looking at our path to re-entry, we understood there was no going back to how things were – we have immensely changed due to the pandemic. Our team put in the extra effort to ask our people and clients how they would like to work together. This gave us the insight we needed to reimagine how our team members could do their work effectively and to find new ways to serve our clients,” noted Matt.

Hybrid Workforce Rooted in Flexibility Flexibility is not one-size-fits-all. Rather than setting specific days or hours to be spent in a DHG office, DHG Anywhere allows individuals to work based on their team and client needs to shape when, where and how one works. This path will look different for everyone, but expectations are clear that providing exceptional client service will always be the priority.
Leading with the Voice of the Client Just as the firm surveyed employees, DHG will survey clients to ask them how they would like to be served. The results will guide the client service approach and allow teams to meet their clients where they would like to be met.
Align Groups to Maintain Culture priority focus for the taskforce has been maintaining the firm’s people-focused culture in a hybrid model. To solve for fewer casual interactions in the office, DHG is creating Align Groups comprised of groups of people who naturally align together. Align Group leaders are responsible for the career success of their groups, which establishes increased virtual connections and clearer career accountability.
Office Spaces Focused on Collaboration The firm believes that being together will continue to be paramount as the best way to learn and to grow, but with more flexibility, being in the office will not occur every day. The hybrid model allows offices to transition to free addressing and to focus on collaborative workspaces to better meet with teammates and clients.

DHG Anywhere will launch in September 2021.