Time-Tested Ways to Survive the Busy Tax Season with Your Team

Audit and accounting professionals are familiar with the long hours and increased stress in the busy tax season. However, there’s no need to feel panicked or stressed about the busy tax season as long as your team adequately prepares for it.

Managers and senior members of the team can do many things to reduce the stress at the office. By doing so, they can help keep their staff at peak performance, reducing the risk of burnout and turnover among their team members.

Here are some of the tried and tested ways that will help reduce your team’s stress at the office during the busy season.

1. Keep the environment stress-free as much as possible.

When things get busy, consider ditching the ties and suits to keep the atmosphere comfortable and less stuffy. It would also be a good idea to allow staffers to work remotely during this season, as long as they could get the task done in a timely manner. By giving them permission to work at a coffee shop or even at their own couch, you allow them to have a breath of fresh air and help them relieve stress.

2. Maintain focus, especially when things get busy.

Find a way to reduce distractions to help you keep focused on your work. Managing your time is critically important during this season, so make sure to remove micro-tasks that fritter away your time such as checking emails every 15 minutes or so. Keep your phone out of sight to limit the chances that you’ll be distracted by it.

 
3. Offer incentives and perks that will make things easier for your team.

Aside from the usual free pizza and catered lunches, consider giving out rewards that will help your team focus more on the task at hand. How about having a cup of joe delivered for everyone? You can even offer car detailing, house cleaning to employees, or even pet walking services—anything that can reasonably make life more bearable during the busy tax preparation season.

In case you still want to go for the conventional reward of having food delivered to the office, consider more healthful meal options that will keep your troops nourished and feeling well despite the long hours that they put in.

4. Make work fun again.

Carve out time for fun and relaxation, even during your short breaks. To keep your team engaged, you can organize fun activities like charades or trivia contests where you can give out gift certificates to the winners. Having chess or ping-pong tournaments can also be a good idea for a break.

5. Don’t forget to celebrate your success.

After the deadline, make sure to recognize your team’s outstanding work and celebrate the end of another successful season. Some firms pay for drinks or even allowing their staff to go on a paid leave from work.

Although there’s no escaping the heaps of work that your team will be doing in the tax busy season, these tips can lower your team’s stress levels and help them survive during this period. Through these activities and effective time management, the 60-hour, six-day work shifts can be a little more bearable.

Get Help in the Next Busy Season

D&V Philippines, a professional services firm based in the bustling city of Makati in the Philippines, has competent teams that can help you as you brace the daunting requirements of the busy season.

Download our whitepaper Seasonal Audit Support through the link below to learn how we can help you increase your team’s productivity. You may also schedule a consultation today to learn more about what we can do for your firm.