What does the ‘future of work' look like for a savvy accountant?
Thursday 20th January 2022
The ‘future of work’ is quite a grand term. It’s a buzz phrase that’s been around for years and probably makes you think about new innovations and artificial intelligence that will – one day – take everyone’s jobs.
But the truth is, the future of work is probably something you’re already doing as a savvy accountant. For us, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to understand the latest smart technology or invest in the next best innovation. Instead we feel it should centre around the ‘people’ aspect – that being both you as a finance professional, and your customers.
So, while a quick Google search to discuss what the future of work will look like will drum up around three billion results – last time we checked – we’ve decided to take a slightly different tact and identify a few words that we believe sum up this term.
In this article:
- The importance of being an authentic accountant
- How agility can prove to be one of your strongest attributes
- Why prioritising your wellbeing should be part of your 'future work'
1. The importance of being an authentic accountant
The first of which is ‘authenticity’. What we mean by this is the ability to be genuine when you communicate and striving to do your best to help clients out with a solution that’s right for them.
A big part of making sure you’re being an authentic, savvy accountant? Understanding too that you’re only human so you will inevitably make mistakes. The crucial bit is how you learn from them.
2. How agility can prove to be one of your strongest attributes
The next word to focus on is remaining ‘agile’ in a competitive marketplace. Let’s face it, we’ve all endured an 18-month period like never before, but what it has underlined is that no-one can really afford to rest on their laurels.
Customer retention has perhaps been a high priority for you during the most challenging of times, and that means recognising when you should evolve processes or streamline systems to ensure you stay ahead of the curve.
Possessing an agile mindset should help you to embrace change and have the tenacity to work on solutions if what you’re providing currently isn’t quite hitting the mark.
3. Why prioritising your wellbeing should be part of your ‘future of work’
And finally, while this also isn’t an innovation or an intuitive solution, it’s absolutely critical. That’s because to ensure you’re providing the best possible customer service you have to take time for yourself and not do things that will inevitably lead to your own burnout.
The strange thing as humans is, as we humans feel at our most stressed, we tend to keep trying to work our way through an exhaustive list – and end up doing too much – rather than listening to our bodies and stepping away from the screen to do something good for our health.
Whether that’s a walk at lunchtime, listening to your favourite podcast, or placing your phone down on an evening, be strict with your self-care because it’ll not only benefit you, but your customers too.
