From the CEO

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disclosures

vscpa.com/disclosures disclosures@vscpa.com

SUMMER 2021 Volume 34, No. 3

Managing Editor Jill Edmonds disclosures@vscpa.com

Editorial Task Force

Olaf Barthelmai, CPA Cheri David, CPA Melisa Galasso, CPA Genevieve Hancock, CPA Karen Helderman, CPA Harold Martin Jr., CPA Anthony Otaigbe, CPA David Peters, CPA Mark Plostock, CPA Zach Shoaf, CPA Barbara Sukramani, CPA

Disclosures is published six times a year by the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA). The magazine’s mission is to communicate information of value to VSCPA members, including professional issues and VSCPA initiatives. The materials and information in Disclosures are offered as material only and not as practice, financial, accounting, legal or other professional advice. Statements of fact and opinion are made by the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of VSCPA officers, members or editorial staff. Publication of an advertisement in Disclosures does not constitute a VSCPA endorsement of the product or service. Copyright © 2020 Virginia Society of CPAs.

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The new world of work

It was no surprise that many CPA

leaders around the state began asking this question over the past year: When will we or will we ever return to the office? What will the future workplace look like? Indeed, it may look different for different companies. Some CPA firms never sent workers home, instead opting for safe distancing measures in the office. Other CPAs, many working in various industries, went home in the spring of 2020 and have yet to return to a physical office building.

As you navigate a wide range of reopening plans, we wanted to know: What does the future of work look like for you and what are some key considerations? We had a huge response to our survey, with 683 members partaking. Here are four main takeaways:

1.Remote working is now mainstream. More than one-third of respondents will make remote work a permanent option if the role allows it.

2.Hybrid of remote and on-site work will continue over the next year. As full-time remote working begins to decrease, hybrid work arrangements will shift from mostly remote with some onsite work to mostly onsite with some remote work.

3.Offices will get smaller. A full 40% of respondents said they will reduce their office footprints, which is directly in response to increasing remote operations for 65% of respondents.

4.Staffing is your No. 1 concern.

Among all these changes, VSCPA members are most worried about maintaining staff connectivity, engagement and morale; recruitment and retention; onboarding; and staff mental health and well-being. Armed with this data, we know how to help you most. Luckily, we began addressing many of these issues when we launched the Center for Innovation in 2018, which focuses on building the workplace of the future — particularly via technology and talent. You can find programs and resources there at vscpa.com/Innovation.

In June, we held a free roundtable to discuss the survey results. We know you want more training to tackle the challenges raised by the above issues and you want to hear success stories and best practices. We are planning now to bring you more programming and information to meet these needs, and we will continue our large slate of virtual CPE options. Our revamped online Career Center at careercenter.vscpa.com can help address your staffing needs.

What else would you like from the VSCPA? We are all ears. Contact me anytime! n

Stephanie Peters, CAE, has served as VSCPA’s president and CEO since 2007.

speters@vscpa.com @StephPeters