 |
Don't Rule Out The Big 5 In Your Job Search:
CPAs Can Be Mothers Too!
by Rebekah Sheely
You finally made it! It's your senior year, and its
time to begin the job search process. You've heard the "horror
stories" about the long hours required by the Big 5 CPA accounting
firms. You're reluctant to enter into that kind of work environment
because of plans to start a family in the near future - or you may
already have family responsibilities. Although, you may be tempted
to avoid interviewing with the Big 5, don't sell yourself short.
Corporate cultures are changing all over- especially within public
accounting - and you need to be aware of those changes in order
to make the best decision regarding the all-important first job.
Long Hours Are A Requirement:
Long hours are the norm at most large public accounting firms.
It is not uncommon for entry-level workers to put in a minimum of
56 to 60 hours a week during the "busy" season which lasts
anywhere from four to six months.1 In addition, the hours typically
increase as the accountant works her way up the promotion ladder.
While the pay at the Big 5 firms is considerably higher, many accountants
(both male and female) have decided the benefits of working at an
international CPA firm don't outweigh the cost of long hours on
the job. For this reason, many women entering the work force for
the first time don't even consider interviewing with the Big 5 firms.
This decision most certainly will have a long-term career impact.
The Glass Ceiling Persists:
The Big 5 accounting firms experience a turnover rate of over 23
percent a year and that number is even higher for their female accountants.2
These statistics help explain why there aren't more women at upper
management levels. Women make up a mere 3 percent of the top corporate
officers in the companies that comprise the Fortune 500.3 While
the number of women partners in the Big 5 CPA firms is higher, it
is still much lower than it should be. Several explanations for
this phenomenon have been offered in the popular press. One is that
women don't play the "game" as well as men.4 For example,
female workers are thought to be too serious in the workplace and
to be chronically tardy for meetings. Two, women have not been as
successful as men because they are afraid to use their natural "feminine"
skills such as empathy and collaboration.5 Since women tend to be
less aggressive on the job, they need to rely on other strengths
to get ahead.
Peggy Orenstein in her book Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Kids, Love
and Life in a Half-Changed World 6offers a fresh and thoughtful
explanation for why women fail to climb the corporate ladder in
large numbers. Orenstein believes that younger women limit their
opportunities from the very start. They make career choices that
are based on the idea that they will be the primary caregiver to
their children. As such, they seek out more flexible careers in
positions that are less demanding. When the children do come, it
seems only reasonable that they (and not their husbands) be the
ones to change jobs or go part-time - both of which slow down the
advancement process. She states that women in their 20's see few
role models who "have it all" and conclude that their
wish for both a family and a career is unattainable. While it may
be impossible to "have it all," women need not lower their
career goals; instead, they need to modify them.
The Big 5 Strive To Be Family-Friendly:
The Big 5 firms realized in the early '90's that if they wanted
to keep and attract talented female professionals, changes would
need to be made in the work environment. Most large public accounting
firms have had long-standing policies that require continual progression
towards partnership. Those employees not deemed to be "partner
material" were not allowed to remain in lower-level positions,
but instead were forced out. Such a policy was known as an "up
or out" policy. Leaders of the Big 5 CPA firms agree that an
"up or out" philosophy is no longer viable. Instead, the
firms have created a new paradigm that includes innovative career
development models and compensation structures as well as opportunities
for professionals to have long-term careers with the firms without
necessarily becoming partners. To ensure the success of the multiple
career path model, the Big 5 firms offer a number of family-friendly
programs including regular and emergency resource and referral services
for children's needs (including child care), resource and referral
for elder care, adoption assistance, family needs-related leaves
of absence, and flexible work arrangements (including telecommuting,
alternative or reduced schedules, and job sharing). These programs
are typically available to all employees but are especially attractive
to women.
Women CPAs Demand Shorter Work Weeks:
Women now represent nearly half of public accounting professionals
at the lower levels -the stage where employees are most likely to
begin families. It's no wonder that more and more women CPAs are
taking advantage of the various family-friendly programs offered
by their employers to achieve a balance between family and career
demands. Reduced workload arrangements tend to be the most popular
type of flexible work arrangement. A recent survey of practicing
CPAs, which was sponsored by the AICPA Women and Family Issues Executive
Committee, indicated that 80 percent of the women professionals
taking advantage of family-friendly programs chose to decrease the
number of hours worked.7 On average, they reported working a five-day,
40-hour workweek during the busy season. While 40 hours a week is
not usually considered a reduced workload, it is considerably less
than the almost six-day, 52-hour workweek of those respondents who
were not carrying a reduced workload. The largest reduction in hours
came during the non-busy season, when the reduced-workload employees
reported working an average of 24.5 hours over a 3.4-day workweek.
A Better Work Arrangement:
Flexible work arrangements do seem to help create work-family balance
but they do not eliminate all conflict. A common workplace myth
is that taking advantage of a flexible work arrangement will negatively
affect salary, promotions, relationships with colleagues, and work
performance. Women professionals often neglect to take advantage
of flexible work arrangements for fear that they will not be perceived
as being committed to their careers. The results of the previously
mentioned survey suggest that negative consequences in terms of
salaries and promotions were less serious than anticipated by those
CPAs affected. While those women taking advantage of flexible work
arrangements were treated differently than full-time employees,
receiving lower raises and fewer promotions (on average), the treatment
was not nearly as harsh as they had expected. These women appeared
to be satisfied with their treatment because only 14% of those taking
advantage of flexible work arrangements reported that they were
likely to leave in the long run as compared to 24% of the traditional
full-time CPAs. 8
The firms are eager to retain their women professionals. Aware that
women typically have had a harder time finding mentors in the male-oriented
culture of most firms, the Big 5 are taking steps to make it easier
for women to find mentors and to build networking opportunities.
For example, Ernst & Young LLP has developed the Women's ACCESS
(ACCElerating Shared Success) Program, and Deloitte & Touche
LLP has the Initiative for the Retention and Advancement of Women.
Arthur Andersen, KPMG, and PriceWaterhouse Coopers have similar
programs.
Flexible Work Arrangements Are Here To Stay:
The Big 5 firms are committed to making flexible work arrangements
successful. The leaders of each of the Big 5 have acknowledged that
the historically male culture of the firms must go. And while they
realize that institutional support in the form of programs is important
for cultural change to take place, it is even more important for
the firm leaders to actively support the programs. In a 1996 article,
Philip A. Laskawy of Ernst & Young, LLP, stated, "We don't
see these efforts in terms of extra cost but in terms of a necessary
investment to provide the best possible client service with the
best people."9 But don't let these words mislead the reader;
the firms are very much aware of cost - especially the high cost
of turnover. Ernst &Young LLP estimates that the cost of hiring
and replacing an employee is 150 percent of an individual's annual
salary .10 In fact, James E. Copeland , Jr., CEO of Deloitte &
Touche LLP, credits his firm's 30% growth rate in 1999 not to better
marketing or better products but to lower turnover. Copeland applauded
Deloitte & Touche's program to improve the retention and advancement
of women employees by noting that in 1993 the firm had 88 women
partners and that in 1999, the total was 245.11
How To Make These Programs Work For You:
The first step to making flexible work arrangements work for you
is to choose a firm that offers family-friendly programs. Don't
hesitate to pick up the phone and call the human resources department
of any firm that you have an interest in or visit their websites.
The websites of each of the Big 5 can be accessed through http://cpateam.com/accounting-big6firms.htm.
After you land the job, you'll want to take certain steps to ensure
that the programs are beneficial to you. Almer and Kaplan12 suggest
the following:
- Build strong relationships with superiors and become
known as a valuable and trustworthy employee before you request
a flexible work arrangement.
- Determine how to make the arrangement successful
for the firm and answer the question, "What's in it for my
colleagues?" When you approach your superior, bring a written
plan that outlines how you can still perform your job functions
without burdening others in the office.
- Recognize that while a flexible work arrangement
can facilitate work-family balance, some degree of conflict will
always be a reality.
Peggy Orenstein in her book Flux elaborates further on this last
point. She suggests that women need to give up the "Perfect
Mother" syndrome - the idea that a "good" mother
is completely responsible for managing family life. Public accounting
tends to attract ambitious individuals who put a lot of pressure
on themselves to do their best at work and at home. If you're worried
about your efforts at balancing work and family, seek feedback from
your supervisor. Your supervisor knows better than anyone whether
your performance is measuring up. Orenstein also suggests that women
need to allow the men in their lives to be equal partners at home.
"Until men fully understand what it means to straddle two worlds,
women who pursue 'life balance' will continue to sacrifice career
advancement." Women entering the work force today have opportunities
for a better work-family balance than those of women professionals
only ten years ago. While it's still not possible to "have
it all," it may be possible to achieve "balance."
Rebekah Sheely is an assistant professor at Northeastern State
University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
|
