If you are, have been, or know an accountant, you know the golden rule:
Don’t bother an accountant during tax time.
During the busiest time of year at the firm, we at RHN always try to do something nice for our team. In previous years, we’ve hosted lunches and/or provided snacks for our team members as they worked tirelessly to help clients file their taxes on time.
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This year, though, with some of our team working in the office and others working from home, we knew it would be challenging to find opportunities like that to connect. We could have lunch at the office, but that would exclude those working remotely.
So, we had to get a little creative.
We called our newest tax season workplace wellbeing initiative the Tax Time Calendar of Fun.
Every single work day during tax season, each of our team members received a package with a Gift, and on the weekends, we gave the team a challenge to promote positive mental health.
One of our daily gifts: Squishmallows for everyone!
Everyone who participated in the Weekend Challenges was encouraged to take a photo and share it with the team to be entered into a draw for a weekly prize.
One of our weekend challenges was to embrace your inner child and blow some bubbles! (Bubble solution was provided as a daily gift earlier that week, of course)
By the time the initiative wrapped up, each of our 60 team members had received:
- 21 small gifts
- 21 carefully calculated puns to accompany the gifts
- 5 weekend challenges (and 5 chances to win awesome prizes!)
Why workplace wellness?
As accountants, it’s easy to normalize our elevated levels of stress during tax season. It’s just part of the job.
While we all knew we’d be busy during tax time when we chose our careers, poor mental health—even for a short period of time—should never be a part of any job description.
That’s why workplace wellness initiatives are so important to us.
On top of having policies and programs that prioritize work/life balance for our team members, we try to incorporate fun events and campaigns like the Tax Time Calendar of Fun into our workplace culture.
Bringing levity and joy into a stressful time, encouraging team members to take breaks and spend time doing things they love outside of work, and giving team members moments to connect and laugh in the office or from home may have been the difference between a burnt out team and a thriving one.
One weekend, our team was challenged to take a photo of themselves spending time in (or with!) nature.
Want in?
If you’re an accountant or soon-to-be accountant looking for a rewarding career with a firm that understands the importance of balance, wellness, and fun, we’d love to meet you!
Our team is pretty great, but it could be even better with you in it—even if it means wrapping an extra set of gifts next year.
View our current openings, and if you don’t see your fit there, don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] so we can keep you in mind for future opportunities!
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This post has been prepared for general information purposes. It is not advice. The information presented may not fit your unique situation, please consult one of our trusted business advisors at RHN CPA for further clarification and interpretation of your circumstances.
