Understaffed? 5 tips for keeping your firm running smoothly

October 17, 2022 9:00 AM

What's your go-to solution if you're understaffed? Is it allocating additional hours to top billing associates? Is it hiring junior staff members to handle lower-level tasks so partners can tackle more complex matters? Or is it something else entirely?

If you have understaffed your firm, especially if for an extended period of time, it's important to tackle the problem head on. Firms that don't deal with shortages of time, money or talent will often wind up burning through their resources and ultimately fail. By setting up systems and delegating work properly, you can move your business forward while your team works to solve the challenges ahead. Above all, stay positive and allow your team to share ideas on how to improve and grow. That way, everyone wins.

In the meantime, here are a few tips that can help keep things running smoothly when you're understaffed at your accounting firm.

Recognize you may not be able to replace a team member right away

It can be hard when someone on your team leaves. While you're naturally going to feel the loss, it's important to remember that it's not personal — it just means that your team is evolving and changing!

If someone leaves, try to find other ways to fill their responsibilities until you can hire someone full-time. The process can take time, even if you have the budget to hire someone new. It may take weeks or months before an applicant has been interviewed and hired, and then another few weeks before they are trained and ready to go. Until then, you will have to do more work than usual. That might mean delegating tasks differently or ensuring that the work is completed by someone on another team with more free time.

Make sure your team knows what's happening and how they fit in

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It's important to make sure everyone on your team knows their role in keeping things running smoothly during this time. It may be obvious to you where you need help, but chances are your team members don't know what's going on or where they're needed.

When you communicate with your team during this time, it's important to make sure they're up to speed on what's happening and how they can help out. Let them know if there's anything they need to change or put on hold until things normalize again. Let them know that they are valued members of the team and an integral part of solving this issue together as a group.

If a team member isn't comfortable doing something, don't force it

If one of your employees doesn't want to take on additional responsibilities because they feel overwhelmed or stressed, don't push them into doing more. Instead, find another staff member willing to take on those responsibilities.

The more time they spend on tasks they aren't comfortable with, the more likely they will make mistakes or burn out. It's better to focus their efforts on what they know best and delegate other tasks to others who are more willing.

Have more than one person who knows how to do each job

When you have more than one person who knows how to do each job, it helps keep everyone's workload light and manageable. You don't want one person feeling overwhelmed with all the work piled on their desk, while at the same time, another employee has nothing to do because they don't know how to do anything else in the office besides answering phones and filing paperwork. It also ensures that everyone gets enough hands-on experience with all aspects of the business to grow professionally, learn new skills, and ultimately advance within your firm.

Outsourcing or automating tasks can reduce the workload

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Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to make your life easier. A VA can help you save time by handling administrative tasks that don't require specialized accounting or bookkeeping knowledge, such as billing and email correspondence. Automating bookkeeping processes can eliminate repetitive tasks like data entry and bookkeeping reconciliation from being performed by staff members.

When you're looking for part-time employees, it's a good idea to consider those who are available during peak demand periods but not full-time hours throughout the year. For example, many accounting firms hire interns during tax season. Consider extending those internships until after tax season ends in order to gain a full-time employee already trained and ready to go!