The forum, scheduled for May 21-22 at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Denver, will bring together staffing experts and CPA firms that have found solutions to the problem. Discussions will explore new staffing techniques and how to implement innovative approaches. Hiring and retaining qualified staff poses the biggest challenge facing the members of the PCPS, according to a recent survey.

"Our line-up of speakers hits on virtually every topic and sub-set of topics that our firm deals with, wonders about and needs to know," said Ellen Feaver, a partner with Employee Benefits Resources and with Anderson ZurMuehler, a CPA firm headquartered in Helena, Mont. "Some of the topics that interest me personally are how to attract people who would be suitable to work in a firm and how to manage them, deal with their expectations, and provide the kinds of amenities in the workplace and the kind of atmosphere and culture that will encourage people to want to stay."

The forum will open with a discussion of firm culture and how it affects the attraction and retention of staff. Two general sessions will offer ideas for retaining and motivating staff through non-monetary rewards and how to identify and develop future firm partners.

Other sessions will address performance appraisals, recruiting the right people, keeping good employees, the selection of high performers by using effective assessments, internships, and the economics of outrageous employee benefits.

Also on the agenda are sessions on entry-level recruitment, recruitment into the accounting profession, compensation methods for non-partners, hiring and firing practices, how to institute a mentoring system, identifying and selling the advantages of working in a small firm, human resources compliance issues, and how to survive today's labor crisis.

The forum will be preceded by an optional pre-conference session on May 20 on how to recruit, hire, manage, retain and motivate professionals and staff of Generation X. A discussion panel comprised of young professionals from the Denver area will discuss what they look for in a job and a firm.

"New graduates today have different expectations out of their careers than a lot of us had when we started out in the 1960s and 70s," Feaver said. "The people who do the hiring, who tend to be in their fifties or late forties, need to know what those expectations are. We have a lot better chance of meeting those expectations if we at least know what they are."

Feaver mentioned free time as an important value to young professionals today. The fact that half of accounting graduates are women, she said, means that firms have to be more family-friendly than they used to be.

Information on the forum is available at www.aicpa.org/conferences.

-- SmartPros News Staff

Send comments to information@smartpros.com

Back to NewsLine