A staff member would be working her fourth night this week. She was looking forward to the stimulation of working with her fellow staff and the excitement over what she would find in the tax returns she would work on, but not the opportunities to call clients to inform them of any unexpected tax balances due or the creativity of the different toppings on each night's pizzas.
She was a summa cum laude graduate with an MBA and accepted the position at this accounting firm because she was told she would be working on a variety of clients in many industries. The recruiter said she would get a firsthand look at how business really worked. She joined the firm last September but wasn't given much to do except prepare some partnership and corporate tax returns and extended individual tax returns. Then she had been assigned to work on tax projections, some special projects of tax clients that would normally be done during tax season and, starting in February, she worked on tax returns as they came in.
She felt that because everyone was so busy, especially her bosses, it would not be appropriate to complain or question when she would be given the type of work she was told she would be given and which she wanted to do.
When she was hired, she was told there would be a bonus in June based on her tax season performance, but except for working long hours, she did not feel she did anything that would distinguish her or present a value for which she would be paid extra. Also, since she did not work a full schedule until the beginning of February, it was intimated that she would not reach the budgeted hours she was expected to work for that entire period since she started with the firm. She was doubtful she would be paid anything reasonable for her long hours during most of tax season.
She always wanted to be a CPA and business consultant. At this point she is disappointed in her choice and especially with the firm. She is uncertain what to do, but is pretty sure she will give notice as soon as she finds out what bonus she will be getting. She is dreading continuing through June but feels it would be foolish to leave before then.
Is this a fantasy situation, a made-up story or the reality in your firm? You figure it out using your firm as a benchmark against this.
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