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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Is it time to

rethink your

firm’s physical

footprint?

The rise of remote work is an opportunity to
evaluate where work gets done.

By Amanda Abrams

W Darin Buelow, a principal at Deloitte who focuses About the
ith the pandemic demonstrating that
employees can work from home and
on real estate and location strategy. “The corporate
author
communicate virtually while maintaining
The pandemic forced Jim Lange, a Pittsburgh-
high productivity, remote work appears to be here location world is extremely busy.” Amanda Abrams is
to stay. For individual workers, the benefits are based CPA who runs Lange Financial Group, a tax a freelance writer
obvious: They can potentially live anywhere in the preparation, investment, and legal services firm, to based in North
country and still have interesting, challenging jobs. switch his business to a remote model. However, Carolina.
But businesses also stand to gain. The rise in his employees have appreciated it so much that he
popularity of remote work means organizations plans to allow them to continue to work remotely
that are facing high costs in crowded, expensive in the future if they wish (see the sidebar “State
metropolitan areas or that struggle to attract and Business and Licensing Laws to Consider”).
retain workers in a tight talent market have an “It’s been a recruiting tool,” he said. “The market
opportunity to shift things to their advantage (see for CPAs is very tight, very competitive. I think
the sidebar “From the Coast to the Middle of the it’s a major advantage for me to say, ‘Hey, you can
Country.”) work from home. And you don’t even have to live
“We live in a time where just about every com- in western Pennsylvania.’ ” Lange’s firm has been
pany has been able to take a step back and question expanding rapidly during the pandemic, and the
their office use: Is this the right office, the right ability to pull résumés from all over the country
talent market? Does work from home work for us? ensures that it can scale up quickly while still
All of that is happening at the same time,” said maintaining quality.

journalofaccountancy.com June 2022 | 19