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Are All Accounting Firms That Claim to Have Work/Life Balance Lying?

work/life balance

“Our firm provides great work/life balance.”

How many times have you read that in a job description and thought, “Riiiiiiight”?

Don’t worry, you’re not a cynical curmudgeon. Everyone thinks this. And that’s because EVERY firm says it in their job postings.

To most accounting firms, “Work/life balance” equates to a casual Friday once a month. Or maybe the partners attended a work/life balance seminar once. They didn’t apply anything they learned, but hey, they went.

If having adequate time for work and your personal life is important to you in your job selection, what should you be looking for in a firm? What qualities and perks go beyond gimmicks and amount to real work/life balance? Read on to find out.

Location, location, location

Everyone wants the ability to work remotely these days, and why not? With today’s technology, there’s no reason you need to be in a physical office to get your work done.

Firms that are truly interested in promoting work/life balance understand this. They know that making it into the office every day is half the battle for many employees. Look for firms with flexible remote working policies and you’ll find you have much more time for your work and your life.

Your hours or theirs?

Speaking of time, the 9-5 workday is dying, with some publications declaring it obsolete. Unfortunately, many accounting firms haven’t gotten the memo.

As long as you get your hours in and your work completed on time, why should it matter if you work 9-5, 6-2, or some combination that involves late nights or weekends? Firms that prioritize work/life balance get this, and they’ll let you work when it’s most convenient for you. That means canceling fewer lunch dates and getting little Suzie to basketball practice every time.

Employee outings, not team-building exercises

Look, there’s nothing wrong with a good team-building exercise. Ok, there’s plenty wrong with it, but you’re going to have to endure a few of them at just about any firm.

What’s unacceptable, however, is when these adult class field trips take the place of a truly fun employee outing.

Firms pursuing real work/life balance may send you on a ropes course every now and then, but they also listen to employees and provide paid activities and perks that are actually fun. Happy hours are a great start, but the best firms go beyond that, offering cruises, exercise classes, bowling nights, karaoke parties, etc.

A firm that puts work/life balance at the top

Newark, Delaware-based Santora CPA Group is a firm that prioritizes true work/life balance for its employees above just about anything else. Specializing in audit, tax, and consulting, Santora dedicates itself to keeping employees happy at work and at home, regardless of seniority.

Don’t believe us? Well they say the proof is in the pudding, but we tried pouring Jell-O butterscotch powder on our servers and it didn’t work out well. So for now, the proof is in the bulleted list. Santora offers:

  • Flexible remote working options
  • No mandatory Saturdays during tax season
  • “Yoga Fridays” during tax season
  • Post-tax season outings, like to New York City and Broadway plays
  • University-adjacent happy hour scene
  • Fully stocked fridge with food, beer, and wine
  • March 15 “chill out” day, featuring free massages

Apply for a job at Santora now

If Santora sounds like the type of place you’d like to work, click below to apply for an open position.