In my opinion, this is an outdated and inefficient approach to weathering the fluctuations and complexities of today’s financial realities. And yet, businesses are reluctant to change it. Why?
Perhaps it’s because businesses expect their employees to do the work, no matter what. However, this could endanger the strength of your team in the long run.
A classic example is: Hiring a team of full-time employees to meet the needs of daily business. Even though you found the perfect team to fulfil those daily tasks, the minute you start adding pressure from unforeseen challenges outside their field of competence (and interest) – extra workloads arise, and stress ensues, leading to dissatisfaction, illness and worst of all, resignations.
Our industry in particular – accounting, financial management, planning and reporting etc. – is characterized by a large degree of seasonal fluctuations combined with frequent occurrence of projects or unforeseen tasks that require specialized competencies. If we know that workloads come in waves throughout the year – why do we still expect our teams to brace themselves for impact when we could easily maintain smooth sailing by bringing in added specialised support when and how you might need it.