Art of Accounting: Energizing staff for last-minute tax returns

The last week of the “official” tax season is starting right now. Here are some things I did to energize staff and lighten the mental load:

• We would bring in ice cream sundaes (or similar treats) in the afternoon.
• One time we told the staff to have their spouses bring their young kids to the office, and we had a clown there for a half hour to entertain them.
• I always walked around the office with magic tricks for the staff, and some of the tricks would really stump them. An aside is that one time I was in Orlando with Peter Weitsen at an AICPA conference and we had a late flight home. I asked Peter if we could go to a magic store I knew about, and I bought some tricks, one of which I still do and which still stumps everyone I show it to. Well, anyway, we ended up sitting in the car for about three hours and developed the idea that led to our forming the Partners’ Network, which grew into having over 2,500 accountants and became a great referral source for us. You never know when you will get a great idea.
• We had a masseuse come to the office in the afternoons and each person got a 10- or 15-minute shoulder and upper back rub.
• We would send flowers or a plant to the spouses or partners of staff, and dolls or teddy bears to their children.
• Every staff person got a tax-free cash gift on the evening of April 15 (this year April 18 is the deadline). We let everyone know they would be getting a gift before they went home on April 15 so they would all plan to stay late. This was not a bonus, but a substantial gift, and each staff person received the same amount. We started out with gift cards, but it got too cumbersome and then switched to crisp $100 bills. In those days we worked until the last minute with the staff leaving around 9:00 p.m. Then Peter and I stuffed the last returns into envelopes and went to the post office to mail them. One year I was putting the stamps on the envelopes while he was driving, and I screwed up and thought the $1 stamps were 1¢ stamps and only noticed it as I squeaked into the post office door as it was closing. I am still upset about this.
• We closed the day after tax season ended. We did not wait until the end of the week to close on Friday and give a three-day weekend. We tried it both ways, and closing the day after won handily. This provided a day to hang around, chill out, not have to fulfill any plans, and just rest the mind. We announced this in advance so staff knew about it and could anticipate the free day.
• We would bring in catered quick lunches and scrumptious dinner meals the last week of tax season. We had everyone take a break at the same time to eat together. We believed this relieved a lot of pressure. However, I always went out with my partners for lunch. We needed the break. And I always went home for dinner and was gone from 5:50 to 6:50. That worked out because I lived five minutes from the office and my wife cooperated by having dinner and the kids ready at 6:00. I then stayed until around 11:30 so I could make sure I took care of everything I could and did not leave any unfinished business for the morning. I also called clients from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. to discuss “surprise” results. All unpleasant calls were my job — that’s what I was being paid the big bucks for.
• One time, to have a little fun, I made believe the gigantic paper cutter that I used a lot cut my tie in half. The staff noticed after I yelled some inappropriate words about it, and some of the staff couldn’t stop laughing for quite a while. What I did was precut the tie, so it was a clean cut. A month later the staff presented me with that tie in a framed box, which hung in my office for years.
• We always had at least one staff member that would go to the opening day of either the Yankees or Mets. Hey, life doesn’t stop because it’s tax season. One of my previous partners, Paul Rich, would go to every Yankees opening day, and he always arranged for his son’s name to be flashed on the scoreboard. (BTW, Paul, who we stopped being partners with 34 years ago, called me to wish me a happy birthday. We are still in touch with each other.)
• For many years in the 1980s, a TV camera crew would come to my office on April 15 or a day or two earlier and would interview me and record us working. I always set it up so as many staff as possible would be in the background. This ended when I switched stations and would go to the studio. I did it in Manhattan and later on in New Jersey. For those reading this who work in a small town, try calling the producer of the local news show. They are always looking for stories.

There were other things we did, and we always looked for some ways to relieve the stress and lighten up. There is no reason why you can’t find some time for some fun. A special thanks to my son Andy for the idea for this column.

Do not hesitate to contact me at emendlowitz@withum.com with your practice management questions or about engagements you might not be able to perform.

Edward Mendlowitz, CPA, is partner at WithumSmith+Brown, PC, CPAs. He is on the Accounting Today Top 100 Influential People list. He is the author of 24 books, including “How to Review Tax Returns,” co-written with Andrew D. Mendlowitz, and “Managing Your Tax Season, Third Edition.” He also writes a twice-a-week blog addressing issues that clients have at www.partners-network.com along with the Pay-Less-Tax Man blog for Bottom Line. He is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Fairleigh Dickinson University teaching end user applications of financial statements. Art of Accounting is a continuing series where he shares autobiographical experiences with tips that he hopes can be adopted by his colleagues. He welcomes practice management questions and can be reached at (732) 743-4582 or emendlowitz@withum.com.