HR Corner Mix of duty and fun creates happy workplace by Mahlon Campbell Friendly and learning-oriented company culture builds staff loyalty When some people say accountants, they think of bean counters always crunching numbers and looking at the bottom line. The reality is very different. At Baker Tilly Hong Kong, a certified public accountancy firm, the company's core values are the support and development of its people, their competencies and integrity, and promoting a culture of strong teamwork. "The three are inter-related and provide the foundation for superior service to clients," says Janet Ferreira, director, human resources and marketing, Baker Tilly Hong Kong. "Ultimately the development of the firm is dependent on the development of our staff." She points out that the company's mission is to provide superior professional services to assist clients in improving their financial position and operational capabilities, while at the same time creating a friendly and learning-oriented environment, creating excellent career development opportunities for staff. Throughout the company's 30 years of operation, it has sought to develop the same culture. The management believe in a work-life balance, and they put a lot of effort into staff scheduling to ensure that staff are not seriously overworked. Not surprisingly, a large proportion of the staff have been with the company for many years. Others who leave often return to Baker Tilly Hong Kong after failing to find a similar open culture elsewhere. "We therefore believe we are a genuinely different firm," says Ms Ferreira. "Most people enjoy working here since we provide a good working environment, and care for them. We look after their development by giving them good training, which increases their work competencies. They in turn will look forward to remaining in the company, enjoying our friendly and cooperative working environment." We treat one another like friends Open workflow The company adopts an open office plan to encourage teamwork instead of having staff working in isolated cubicles. Extra effort is put into arranging staff social activities to facilitate interaction. For example, this year the company's annual dinner has a 70's theme. Staff are encouraged to come dressed in clothing typical of the 70's or as an actor or singer from the 70's, thus encouraging staff to let their hair down and have some fun. "What we try to do is bring more life into our firm," says Ms Ferreira. In addition, the firm encourages and sponsors frequent informal networking through staff lunches, after-work drinks, participation in sport and social events and so on. According to Ms Ferreira, such activities help to build strong relationships, and encourage commitment and a sense of belonging, ingredients for the team environment the company seeks to encourage. The firm believes this is very important since it sets off a chain reaction. When care and concern is shown towards staff they respond by providing excellent service to clients, which in turn brings increased business. As a result, business partners and stakeholders are rewarded. Team spirit The promotion of a team environment encourages staff to motivate one another and so perform better. Additionally, staff morale is boosted. Even though the work is tough at times, the staff have fun working together, and the sense of togetherness creates higher job satisfaction. Ms Ferreira remarks, "We walk the talk. From partners to junior staff, we treat one another like friends. Even new joiners regularly comment on how easy it is to settle in here." The most important elements in this culture are teamwork and promotion of a shared vision. "We look for staff who believe in our friendly and learning-oriented culture. We strive to build strong team spirit rather than encourage individualism. Hence, we prefer newcomers with a friendly and cooperative attitude," she says. "It has been greatly successful as the happy index in this firm is relatively high — quite unusual for accountancy firms where accountancy work is often perceived to be boring, and accompanied by very long working hours." Baker Tilly Hong Kong uses an appraisal system whereby senior staff review the progress of each individual. This enables management to obtain feedback about staff including whether there is room for improvement. Those needing training can be identified at an early stage. This has accelerated staff development and increased job satisfaction. The firm encourages staff participation whenever possible. For example, prizes for its annual dinner are chosen from a wish list submitted by staff. Also the firm has established a number of committees that deal with a wide range of issues, and junior staff are encouraged to serve on them. "By promoting the right culture, we can motivate and retain staff. This brings long-term benefits to both staff and the firm," Ms Ferreira points out. Salient points - Staff support and development as core values - Care and concern brings increased business - Open office plan encourages teamwork - Good training increases work competencies - Appraisal system accelerates staff development and increases job satisfaction Taken from Career Times 2 February 2007, p. A20 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]