Lately, it appears that the finance department has been missing a few people. Maybe they’ve left the office for the day or they are taking some time off. Or maybe worse – they are not coming back and they have started working for a competing firm. What’s happening here?
Has your finance and accounting department begun to circulate rumors of an all-out mutiny? There’s still hope to retain your best financial candidates, but you must take swift action to find out what’s going on.
The accounting and finance employees are getting restless.
There are generally some internal issues that can mess with even the best accounting teams. Things like audits, end of the month and quarterly reporting cycles, changes in leadership, and even performance review times can all shake up the department. During these times, make note of any employees who are acting differently or grumbling more. Take the time to open the doors of communication and get a measure of where people stand and how your management team can help them.
There is far too much work and not enough bodies to go around.
When employees become overwhelmed by projects, deadlines, and picking up the slack from other departing employees, they tend to become less productive. They may seek another job just for sheer survival. During the busiest time of the year, it’s a good idea to bring in accounting and finance temps to augment your current team. This can increase retention and productivity levels for your department.
Too many distractions in the office.
We live in a world where there is constant information streaming into our brains through mobile devices, social networks, and online buzz. This can become a real problem for accounting employees who must stay focused on highly detailed tasks and reports. If you note employees who are continually posting on their social networks, not at their desks engaged in meaningful work, and not able to meet their deadlines, it can be a good time to set some performance goals for them or find replacements.
Watch for other signs of employee discord too, such as:
• excessive tardiness or people calling out sick too often;
• interpersonal conflicts between accounting employees and other departments;
• poor and negative attitudes expressed on a regular basis;
• reports from customers on negative customer service from employees; and
• loss of your seasoned employees and team leads.
By keeping a close eye on the above factors, you can help to reduce the chance of losing any more good employees from your accounting department. If you need more help retaining or finding top financial employees, partner with the staffing experts at Venteon today!
