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T headquarters; onboarding new recruits into a About the
wo years after the coronavirus pandemic
forced accounting firms and other businesses
half-empty office; and perhaps, most importantly,
author
to quickly ramp up remote work for the
safety of their employees, a new, uncharted terri- ensuring everyone in the firm is visible and noticed, Cheryl Meyer
no matter their location, and that cliques don’t
tory has emerged: the hybrid work environment. surface among office workers. is a freelance
Problem is, there’s no written guide for orga- “The big win for employers is likely to be writer based in
nizations to follow when it comes to establishing permanent remote employees, where they lose Minnesota.
a hybrid work setting, so many of them are just their office and the employer shrinks its real estate
winging it. Some employees may work half the footprint,” said Peter Cappelli, Ph.D., author of The
time from home, with a couple of days in the office. Future of the Office and a professor of management
Other businesses prefer to stay mostly remote, with at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
employees commuting in only for special events, in Philadelphia. “But the careers of such workers
and with their supervisors’ approval. Many firms, suffer compared to their peers in the office.”
however, are leaving the decision of where and Women, who may be more likely to work from
when to work up to their employees. home, especially if they have young children, could
The hybrid model, no matter how it is defined, lose visibility if organizations are not watchful of
sounds great for CPAs, who juggle intense work re- potential shifts in office dynamics, including cliques
sponsibilities with personal and family commitments. and favoritism. If not managed properly, promotions,
But this new way of working is also creating hurdles along with praise, could be showered more frequently
for organizations, including public accounting firms. on employees who choose to work in a firm’s physical
Accounting firm leaders collectively say they are office, where organizational leaders may notice them
facing numerous challenges: establishing formal more than employees who work remotely.
and fair policies that suit everyone, especially with “I’m concerned as we transition back to the
talent at such a premium; maintaining a consistent office that women’s opportunities to be mentored
company culture when people are spread out; in in that natural way will be diminished,” said Jonyce
some cases monitoring productivity, particularly Bullock, CPA, CGMA, the CEO of Squire &
with younger or newer employees; facing resistance Company in Orem and Salt Lake City, Utah. A lot
from some leaders, who want everyone back at of mentoring happens over lunch, for instance,

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