CC RemoteWorkGuide

Guide to Managing a
Remote or Blended Workforce
©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 1 of 2 All rights reserved.

Distribution or reprinting with permission only. www.convergencecoaching.com
Table of Contents (Select title section)
Table of Contents (Select title section) ..................................................... 2
Remote or Blended Work is Here to Stay ................................................. 3
Making a Cultural Commitment to a Blended Workforce ........................ 5
Maintaining Your Culture and Relationships.......................................... 11
Clarifying Expectations ........................................................................... 15
Leveraging Technology........................................................................... 21
Hiring and Onboarding Remote Team Members ................................... 22
How Far Can Remote Team Members Progress Their Career? .............. 24
Conclusion .............................................................................................. 24
Action List ............................................................................................... 25
Glossary .................................................................................................. 26
Contact Information for the Authors at ConvergenceCoaching, LLC...... 26
“To be a firm that truly embraces a blended environment, it

takes leaders who are shedding old stories and striving to
understand and successfully employ team members no matter
where they work.”
Renee Moelders, ConvergenceCoaching, LLC

Remote or Blended Work is Here to Stay
The move to flexibility in our work has been happening slowly for years. Over time, team members have
pushed for increasing flexibility in the hours they work each day and week (flexibility of time) and in the
location their work takes place (flexibility of place). The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these flex
trends by creating a business imperative for flex of place policies in firms across the U.S., forcing a literal
move overnight to remote work for nearly all team members.
At first, firms braced themselves for decreased revenues and productivity. But in most cases, firm
leaders found that remote work was productive, and their people were able to collaborate with each
other and clients to produce the deliverables needed, meet filing deadlines, and bill and collect against
that work. Remote work worked.
And many of those working remotely embraced it, too, with even die-hard opponents finding that they
liked the increased flexibility offered by working remotely, the more relaxed atmosphere, the ability to
put their heads down and concentrate, and the relief from their commutes. Their experience wasn’t
even “real remote work” because it was complicated by the pandemic, with all family members being
crowded in the homes with them, children not attending school or daycare in-person, and the need to
isolate and not go out in the evenings for a change of scenery. Even with these limitations, many U.S.
workers fell in love with remote work.
The proof of this is in the data coming out of countless studies including:
• “A recent FlexJobs survey of more than 4,000 people who’ve been working remotely during the
pandemic found that 65% said they would prefer to work at home full-time after the
pandemic.” Fast Company
• “Hybrid models of remote work are likely to persist in the wake of the pandemic…” McKinsey
Global Institute, November 23, 2020
• “A [December 2020] report from Upwork predicts that the number of remote workers will
almost double in the next five years: 36.2 million Americans will be remote by 2025.”
TechRepublic article on the future of remote work
• “As the recovery progresses…more and more people will return to their traditional places
of work…this doesn’t change the fundamental shifts we’re seeing toward more virtual and
remote operations…” Ash Noah, VP of the AICPA
• “52% of employed Americans would choose to work from home permanently, if given the
option.” SHRM Covid-19 Research: Returning to Worksites
• “A survey of Grant Thornton UK LLP employees found that 88% wanted to spend most of their
time working remotely, with broad support across age groups and locations…”
www.bloomberg.com
• “Deloitte will allow its 20,000 UK employees to choose how often they come into the office, if
at all, after the pandemic, making it the latest firm to throw out the rulebook and embrace
ultra-flexible working.” www.theguardian.com

www.convergencecoaching.com
REMOTE WORK:
@Copyright 2000 -2021
ConvergenceCoaching, LLC
All rights reserved.
SAVES THE DAY AND

HERE TO STAY
According to our 2020 Any�me,
Anywhere™ Survey, most firms
expect an increase in people
working remote going forward
• 81% will have a significant increase
(32%) or increase (49%)
• 16% expect no long-term change
• Only 3% expect to "go back"or have
fewer (less) remote workers
Data from the 2020 ConvergenceCoaching®, LLC Any�me, Anywhere Work ™ Survey
@ConvergenceSays 5
So, the new imperative is for progressive, future-focused accounting and consulting firms to commit to a
strategy of fully and enthusiastically supporting remote work. They must embrace a blended workplace
where people work from the office, home, and other locations. In addition, work locations will vary by
person over time.
This Guide is intended to help firm leaders who are embracing remote or blended work to deploy the
latest cultural commitments, strategies, and processes to maximize success. Within the Guide, you’ll find
tools and resources mentioned that are available as supplements to help you implement the ideas
contained here. And you’ll find contact information for your team at Allinial Global and the authors of
this Guide, ConvergenceCoaching, LLC. Both parties are supportive resources who stand ready to assist
you as you progress your remote or blended workforce strategy.
Why Do We Care Where They Work?

There are many benefits to remote or blended work including:
• Employee retention. NextGen talent especially expect more workplace flexibility. In fact, a
recent Accenture study found that 83% of over 9K workers surveyed prefer a hybrid (blended)
model where they can work remotely at least 25% of the time. If your firm doesn’t offer max
flex, including support for remote or blended work, you risk your team members finding another
employer who will
• Office space cost savings. A remote or blended workforce strategy will enable you to retool
your existing office space and save money there, which is ordinarily the second most expensive
line item on the P&L and critical as labor costs (the #1 most expensive) continue to rise

• Borderless reach for talent. When you truly embrace remote or blended work, you’ll be able to
keep talent when they move out of your geography and recruit talent from other geographies,
opening up a more plentiful resource pool
• Enabling client service. Your clients who appreciated the remote services offered in the last year
and a half may expect you to continue to offer remote service options, even after the pandemic.
If you don’t offer these options, they may seek a competitive provider who will
• Expanding your geography for client reach. When your firm makes remote client service and
remote talent management a core competence, you’ll find that you can serve clients wherever
they are located, expanding your geographic territory, and revealing new markets for your
services and specialties
• Increasing productivity and engagement. Gallup’s State of the America Workplace report found
that remote workers logged more hours than their office counterparts and were slightly more
engaged, while those who took a blended remote and office approach were the most engaged
With benefits like these possible for firms, leaders shouldn’t care about where work is produced if client
needs are met with quality and safety, teamwork and communication are happening, and financial
performance is where it should be.
>> Back to the Table of Contents
Making a Cultural Commitment to a Blended Workforce

Managing a blended team requires a shift in thinking, or mindset, to move away from our in-person,
traditional paradigm. After all, managing a blended team does present differences to the on-premise,
all-in-one-office model to which most accounting leaders are accustomed. Firm leaders must let go of
some of our “beliefs” or certainties about what will drive success and look anew at the actions team
members can take to be productive and successful working from anywhere.
Below are five essential mindset shifts to help you personally become more supportive of a blended
team and help your firm form a cultural commitment to remote or blended work.

Mindset Shift #1 - Trust First
Trust is one of the most important cultural attributes to achieving success with remote or blended
work. In his book, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, Stephen M.R. Covey
states, “Simply put, trust means confidence. The opposite of trust – distrust – is suspicion.” Mr. Covey’s
intensive study of trust concludes that the lack of trust has a serious economic impact, because without
trust everything takes longer and costs more.
When managing a remote or blended workforce, where people are working at different times and in
different places, we can’t always see all of those team members anymore. For some leaders, this raises
questions and even suspicions about what remote team members are doing or how they spend their
time. But the idea that “you must not be working unless I can see you” is antiquated and doesn’t reflect
the cultural feel you want or that your team members NEED to feel engaged and motivated. Instead,
great leaders start from a mindset of extending trust first to people, believing that their team members
CAN be productive and effective no matter where or when they are working.
So how do you extend trust in a way that is “real” and manages your risk that the person does not
respond in the positive way you expect? Use a combination of both good business judgment and
“people” judgment. When working with a person the first time:
• Extend trust in a way that allows you to test their competence to handle an assignment or
responsibility
• In defining the assignment, include clear measures of success or specifics on the deliverables
expected, like the form it will take, how complete it should be, by-when it is due, and a
reasonable “return and report” structure for reporting status
• Express your desire and intention to trust and empower your people more fully in future
assignments, by giving them feedback on their performance handling the first assignment
The importance of your leaders extending trust and avoiding distrustful statements and actions cannot
be overstated in the new blended environment.
For more information on clarifying expectations, see this section of the guide.
Mindset Shift #2 - Let Go of the 3-D Paradigm

Merriam Webster describes a paradigm as “a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind.” In
terms of managing a remote or blended team, the 3-D paradigm is thinking that certain activities must
be completed in person, or in your three-dimensional (3-D) form (versus your flat-screen video
conference form) to be effective. Yet very little must be done in person, especially with the ongoing
digital transformation and shifts in business happening today.
This Guide is not suggesting that we eliminate in-person activities, but instead asserts that many of us
think of business processes in an old, in-person paradigm first. But many organizations are discovering
ways to create blended methods for achieving important aims like:
• Keeping your team culturally close to one another
• Bonding with a team member

• Deepening a relationship with a client
• Convincing a prospect to work with your firm
• Training a new team member and providing meaningful feedback
• Elevating a manager to prepare them for partner
• Developing relationships with referral sources
• And more!
Consider the example of internships. During the pandemic, many firms paused internship programs
because they couldn’t see a way to create meaningful learning and bonding experiences for interns
without bringing them onsite or into an office. But other firms didn’t let the traditional 3-D internship
model stop them. Instead, they re-engineered and re-vamped their programs for the new remote
paradigm, hosting remote group training opportunities; mailing food gift cards and scheduling “getting-
to-know-you” coffee or lunches with interns, managers and partners; assigning each intern to an
experienced manager who checked in weekly or even daily to answer questions, sharing screens to
demonstrate concepts and ensure they felt connected; scheduling group remote fun activities and more.
These innovative firms stepped outside of the 3-D paradigm and created a model that could potentially
be leveraged after the pandemic, to onboard and train remote interns, first-year and experienced hires
from far-afield colleges and universities. They created a scalable model for the future, and for multi-
office firms, they found a way to create a consistent onboarding and internship management and
evaluation process across offices that they won’t abandon post-pandemic. So many of the innovations
created in this area will sustain long-term, even as firms move to more in-person contact with these
important entry-level team members.
To run a successful blended environment with team members working remotely and in offices, you must
identify where you are “stuck” in a 3-D paradigm. Acknowledgement is the first step toward building
new processes and approaches to manage the business across geographic boundaries.
Mindset Shift #3 - Avoid Sludge

There is a BIG issue lurking that can sabotage a firm’s ability to manage a blended work environment,
and it’s called “SLUDGE.” In real life, sludge is defined as a muddy substance, dirty oil, sea ice, mire,
muck, and several other unproductive substances that slow or bog things down. In a business
environment, sludge is “any negative comment we make that serves to reinforce old ideas about how
work gets done” as defined by Cali Ressler and Jody Thomson in their book Why Work Sucks and How to
Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution.
Here are some examples of what sludge looks like in a remote or blended workplace:
• “I forgot you worked here! (ha-ha)” said to a remote employee who lives in a different city and
is attending your quarterly meeting in person
• “What’s the exceptional purpose that you need to work from home on Thursdays?” said to an
employee planning to regularly work away from the office on Thursdays

• “Where is Mary when I need her?” exclaimed by a partner outside Mary’s empty office on a
Tuesday a.m. when Mary regularly works from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• “I’m not sure John has the drive to be a partner, because he just doesn’t seem to put the time
in. For instance, he leaves for dinner at home most busy season nights,” said by a partner to
the partner group about a manager who aces his chargeable and billing goals and more than
meets client expectations but leaves at 5:30 pm during busy season to have dinner with his
family. Even though he leaves the office “early,” he works from home after dinner, when and
where others can’t “see” him working
Sludge is often expressed as a joke or jab or statement said in a teasing manner. Behind the humor, real
feelings of distrust, frustration and irritation hide. Instead of expressing those feelings in a more direct
and constructive manner, the “sludger” makes jokes. This can make the subject of the sludge feel like
they are unsupported in their remote or blended work and leaves bystanders questioning the firm’s
commitment to flexibility. In this sludgy environment, team members could be afraid to take
advantage of the ability to work remotely without risking their career with your firm.
To address sludge, try the following strategies:
• Give sludge a name. When sludge happens, call it out. Teach about sludge at all levels of the
firm, starting with the partner group, and make a commitment to stamp it out
• Ask individual leaders to explore the ways that they participate in sludge. Ask them to identify
common irritants or events that spark complaining and notice what they say about those
negative feelings
• Teach your team members how to provide constructive feedback. Commit as a team to talking
straight about things that aren’t working
• Clean up the sludge. When sludge happens, kindly point it out with phrases like “Uh oh, is that
sludge?” or “I’m concerned that a statement like that might make staff feel like we’re not
committed to a blended work environment” or “Sally might be offended by that statement,
because she’s producing so much from home”
• Promote success stories. Highlight remote team members when they have successes. Share
best practices and strategies they use. Ask them to teach their methods to promote
communication and collaboration while working remotely. Publish client testimonials about
working with remote team members
Don’t let sludge muck up your office relationships or derail your transition to a successful blended work
environment.
Mindset Shift #4 - Consistency, Parity and Transparency

To build a successful remote or blended environment, you must aim for consistency, parity, and
transparency. Each of these ideas is explained below, with examples to apply to your unique
environment.

Consistency: When your firm is consistent, all departments and operational areas will offer flexibility in
where work gets completed. That flexibility will vary depending on the client situation or the nature of
the work, but leaders must universally buy-in to the philosophical values of flexibility and strive to apply
the principles with their team members.
As firms transition to a truly flexible workplace, they often encounter resistance and therefore
inconsistencies. Here are a few common pitfalls to watch for and mitigate:
• “Not on my jobs” or “Not in our department.” Some partners, managers or engagement

leaders will seem to buy-in to flex philosophies, while later they’ll individually follow different
protocols or raise objections that block team members from participating in the firm’s blended
culture. As an example, at a leadership team meeting, a partner might nod and agree that
remote or blended is a viable strategy to help build and strengthen the talent pipeline. Later, a
manager serving as engagement leader of the XYZ company audit proposes a remote audit due
to long team member commutes and poor working conditions at the XYZ company site. The
same partner who nodded agreement in the leadership team meeting reacts with resistance,
saying something like “that will never work,” without stopping to explore the request for a
remote audit fully. Remote or blended are not “all or nothing,” and certain (yet increasingly
fewer) jobs will need to be completed in-person. That said, leaders should watch for instances
where they are objecting instead of looking at ways to move to a truly remote or blended
culture
• “Our people have to earn the right the work remotely, so we only allow managers and up to
take advantage of remote work.” This is outdated thinking that doesn’t apply when there’s a
tight talent pipeline. Firms across the country ARE allowing their staff and seniors to work
remotely, even as interns or first-year hires. After all, these young team members just did this
for over a year during the height of the pandemic. To remain competitive, firms must rise above
this concern and look for ways to make it work for all levels. Setting clear expectations for
performance and checking in with individuals regularly will ensure they stay on track. Also, if the
staff are in the office so they stay on task and learn from senior leaders, and yet senior leaders
are the ones working remotely and therefore unavailable, we defeat our own objections
• “Staff need to be onsite so they can learn from more senior team members.” With the
technology nearly all firms have in place today, learning and development can happen no matter
where people are working. More important than place of work is a commitment to learning and
setting aside time to intentionally transfer skills. Additionally, as partners and managers work in
a blended manner, they won’t necessarily be onsite or available in an in-person or 3-D manner.
Instead, staff and leaders will connect over the phone and video to further projects and transfer
skills
• “Our admin team members can’t work remotely due to the nature of their work.” This is also
based on old paradigms. Instead, group certain tasks that can be completed from anywhere and
allow your admin or operational people to work from home to manage those specific tasks.
With most phone systems, even incoming calls can be forwarded and answered from a non-
office location. Challenge your admin team members to develop more digital processes to
facilitate an increased level of remote or blended work

Encourage your team members to kindly point out when individual firm leaders are not consistently
embracing the principles of remote or blended work. Work together to make incremental progress
towards a consistent blended or “more remote” leadership approach.
Parity: Ideally, you’ll create an environment where onsite and remote employees have a similar
experience and comparable opportunities when working for the firm. Contrast that with the old
paradigm where the remote employee might work hard “behind the scenes” but was not considered a
viable option for progression into a leadership role. In a blended environment, these old ways of
thinking must be discarded so firms can truly leverage all team members independent of their
geographic location.
To put parity into practice, firms must look at how they offer opportunities to advance and ensure that
remote talent are given fair consideration. For instance, are the firm’s “A” clients only managed by
people working in the office? Are people in the office given preferential treatment when the firm is
scheduling or assigning work? If so, why? When you create a new committee to implement a technology
stack in the CAS department, are remote members of the team allowed to participate in the selection
committee or the pilot of the new technology?
In addition to these philosophical refinements, there are tactical changes to make that will support a fair
experience for those working remotely:
• Going forward, all meetings should be hosted with a video and dial-in option
• Conference rooms must be updated with additional cameras and microphones to allow those
connecting remotely to see who is talking and hear what is said. A larger screen may be required
in the conference room so those onsite can see the remote meeting participants. If this isn’t
possible, then all participants should dial in individually so that there is a level playing field on
the call
• When hosting firm-wide “fun” events, include a blend of in-person and remote activities
Encourage your leaders to work remotely on a regular basis to learn from the experience and gain
empathy for those working outside the office. Some leaders might work a few days a week from
elsewhere, while others may do so only once a month. Either way, it will help move your leaders away
from saying “I can’t work remotely” to “I’m trying out remote work and parts of it are working for me.”
To be a firm that truly embraces a blended environment, it takes leaders who are shedding old stories
and striving to understand and successfully employ team members no matter where they work.
Transparency: There are times when in-person work is required, like in-person, traditional networking
events, an annual lunch with a client’s finance team, or when working with a key client whose
documentation is highly paper-based. In these instances, firms may need to make assignments to team
members who can be easily onsite. Be transparent about those in-person or proximity-based decisions.
Explain why in-person is being required. When leaders “talk straight” and disclose their thinking, it
builds trust among team members.
In addition, when the team understands the thought process behind a decision, they are better able to
input to it or offer alternative suggestions for how to handle it. Transparency is critical to building a
trusting blended team that works together toward successful client and team outcomes.

Mindset Shift #5 - Let Go of the “Right” Way to Work
Time is a precious commodity for every one of us, and remote or blended work is all about giving
individuals more control over their time. By doing so, we allow team members to fit work in where and
when it works for them. For each individual, that will look different based on their work style and
individual commitments. Managing a team of unique individuals takes flexibility.
In principle, leaders might agree to flexibility, but in practice it isn’t easy. Leaders can slip into thinking
that they KNOW how it must be done. They might think “I couldn’t produce work in that environment,
or under those conditions” and immediately jump to the conclusion that others couldn’t either. From
there, it’s an easy next step into being overly prescriptive for how to work.
Here are some examples:
• A staff person is working at the kitchen counter on a stool. His girlfriend is seen walking through
the kitchen during Zoom meetings. He doesn’t look comfortable perched on the stool
• The Marketing Coordinator likes to produce the weekly promo from Starbucks. She sometimes
joins the weekly firm huddle from the coffee shop, too, with her video clearly displaying her
location. She doesn’t have to speak in those huddles, but others can see where she is
• An Audit Manager sometimes works on Saturdays from the bleachers at his son’s swim meets
Some might look at these situations and say, “I couldn’t do that!” From there, they might shift to
believing or even prescribing that the remote team member shouldn’t work there either. But if the staff
person completes assigned deliverables with quality, connects securely, and maintains firm and client
privacy, who cares where the work is produced? If the Marketing Coordinator produces more creative
work product from a bustling coffee shop, why limit it? And if the Audit Manager can crank out work
product while also fulfilling important family obligations, it is in our best interest to support it.
Your team should identify “must-haves” for producing work, also known as deal-breakers, a concept
explored in more depth here. When you identify deal breakers related to remote or blended work, you’ll
have a framework for which behaviors, actions, or results can be “judged” as working or not working.
Employers of choice will embrace the unique ways in which their people complete their work and will
avoid imposing their work preferences on their team members.
Mindset Shifts are Job #1

Change rarely occurs instantly like flipping a light switch; instead, we make incremental progress
through small adjustments and refinements in the way we think and act. What changes does your team
need to make to support remote or blended teamwork? What old norms do you need to shed?
Firm leaders that work together to explore these mindset shifts and commit to changes in how they
address them will progress more quickly to a productive remote or blended environment.

Maintaining Your Culture and Relationships
Remote Fun and Activities Keep Your Culture Alive
• Host creative remote events for Your firm’s culture is the essence of its being and the way it
smaller teams – cooking classes, feels to work at or with your firm. Your culture is multi-
wine tastings, mixology, farm faceted and complex and includes both positive and
visits, yoga classes and more negative elements, too. As you transition to having some or
• Hold leadership video calls - share all team members working away from the office, you’ll want
news, take questions to “lock in” the positive elements of your culture while
• Socialize with remote brown bag ensuring that less-desirable attributes don’t take hold. If you
lunches, online games, online haven’t already done so, start by defining your cultural
happy hours, meet the values. Then, use those values to make decisions, choose
family/pets
initiatives to forward, bring on new clients (or not), hire new
• Acknowledge special occasions
team members (or not), and more.
remotely
• Host optional remote exercise or For most firms, collegial relationships among team members
meditation are a cultural value. In fact, when expressing concerns about
• Develop mechanisms for the impact of remote or blended work, firm leaders often
employee life updates say, “we like each other and want to keep seeing each
• Start a “feel good” forum where other.” If that sounds like your firm, ensure your fun
employees can share positive,
committee or fun “owner” plans for blended get-togethers
uplifting thoughts and ideas
going forward, including a mix of in-person and remote
• Create special interest “teams”
events (see the sidebar) in your monthly, quarterly, and
on your firm’s collaboration
platform, like a place to share annual roster of activities.
recipes or solve puzzles If some of your team members are in the same geography,
• Ask your team for remote or you’ll continue hosting events like the annual firm picnic,
blended fun ideas and empower holiday party or the summer golf tournament. Consider
them to implement them! coordinating with remote team members so they can make
See Remote Fun and Games for more plans to be in town during select and special onsite events.
ideas. Some firms with a significant number of permanently
remote employees ask all team members to come into the
office or meet in person once a quarter or once every trimester for 2-3 days of in-person planning,
collaboration, and cultural fun activities.
Foster Strong Personal Relationships

We have appreciated the office setting for getting to know people by accidentally bumping into them in
the hall, by the coffee bar, in the parking lot or stairwell. These spontaneous meetings are one of the
blessings of proximity, but with a truly remote or blended work force, you’ll have to be more intentional.

Start by making sure that each team member in your firm is Regularly Ask Your Assignee These
assigned a career advisor who will act as a “shepherd” for Four Questions
their assigned people. They’ll connect regularly with their
assigned team member, supporting their needs. This 1. How are you really?
concept applies if you are running a remote or blended team 2. What work do you really enjoy
or if your entire team is full-time together in an office that you’d like to do more of and
setting. Ask your career advisors, or shepherds, to hold why?
regular “huddles” with their assignees where they check-in 3. What work is less enjoyable that
weekly or at least every two weeks, and ask, “How are you, you’d like to do less of and why?
really?” Shepherds should know each individual’s unique 4. How can I help you?
circumstances and help them with day-to-day issues that
arise, like navigating decisions about when and where to
work, negotiating productivity challenges, adjusting and resetting expectations when they feel
overwhelmed, and more. There will be opportunities for shepherds to advocate for their assignees with
partners and other leaders, creating a work arrangement that is manageable and successful.
Demonstrating this care and concern for each of our people and managing their needs and challenges
on a one-size-fits-one basis will foster trust and “stickiness” to your firm, because your team members
will feel they have an advocate with whom they can confide, problem solve, and celebrate victories, too.
Recognize that Winning at Work Requires Winning at Home, and Manage the
Whole Person
If your people aren’t winning at home, they will struggle to win at work. And if your people must choose
between success at home or work, most will choose winning at home. You could argue, “It’s not my
job to help my team members manage childcare or their commute or caring for elderly parents.”
Instead, realize that it is essential to understand your team members’ challenges outside of work so you
can offer support and establish realistic expectations for them. Otherwise, they may feel that they need
to leave your firm to alleviate the “squeeze” they feel between work and home.
Help Manage Workload and Reset Expectations

Team members at all levels navigate shifting deadlines, burning hot client priorities, and important new
initiatives. Career advisors should work with their assignees to evaluate the viability of client
engagement scopes and internal initiatives and explore where they fit in the team’s overall priority.
Consider adjusting budgets or extending deadlines to be more realistic with the capacity of your team.
Your people will appreciate you being proactive in this area! Put processes in place to assess each
individual’s capacity and workload on a weekly basis so you can balance that load when necessary.

Be Visible to Each Other
In a remote or blended environment, connection doesn’t happen
accidentally. You won’t bump into an intern in the lunchroom or pass Work-to-Do Lists Keep
a fellow manager in the lobby on the way to a meeting. Encounters Teams on Track
require intention to ensure you’re interacting with colleagues in Ask your team to
other offices, another geography, or those working from home. identify their list of
Technology tools can help. Browse through Teams for a “green” items to complete in
(meaning available) team member and reach out to say, “good the coming week and
morning” or “Happy Monday!” Send a chat or instant message (IM) publish their list team-
saying, “Do you have a minute for a phone conversation?” and hold a wide. This will ensure
15-minute ad-hoc check-in with a peer. Create personal prioritization, allow you
commitments and calendar reminders to touch base with colleagues to spot problems with
a certain number of times per week or month and be sure to reach productivity or
outside your comfortable circle. chargeability, and will
cause collaboration to
Leaders should gather their teams together on a regular basis to move work to the right
connect and forward projects. When choosing who to assemble with, individuals. Get clear on
think in terms of engagement teams, departments, and internal what each other has
project teams. Conference calls work but using video can be even assigned to them when
better to foster connection. Also, consider taking a few minutes at working toward
the start of each meeting to center around positive events in each common deadlines.
person’s life or make personal connections before diving into agenda
items.
Acknowledge Your team

Acknowledgment is often forgotten in the rush to produce work. You build trust and a stronger bond by
expressing appreciation, depositing goodwill in a team member’s positivity piggy bank. Those positive
interactions and expressions of gratitude build the relationship between team members and create an
openness to constructive feedback and growth-related conversations. Be intentional with your blended
team members to provide positive feedback that is specific and sincere, with ideas like:
• “Catching” your people in the act of doing something good and thanking them for it
• Sending personal appreciation emails
• Creating hand-written acknowledgment cards and small gifts, lighting up your team member’s
mailbox
• Popping in on email, Skype/Teams, Zoom or the phone to give kudos directly
• Sending group communications acknowledging team or individual wins
Don’t overlook the value of positive feedback and acknowledgment when managing a remote or
blended team.

Commit to a Culture of Feedback
In any work environment, there are bound to be frustrations, interruptions, and irritations. Those small
bumps can turn into mountains if they aren’t addressed as they arise. As a team, commit to a culture of
transparency and feedback.
Feedback doesn’t mean giving someone a scolding or strong reprimand. Instead, the best feedback is
given with care and concern and the desire to look at where you can change, too. This type of feedback
doesn’t come naturally and must be learned. Invest in regular feedback training for your team to build
their skills in both receiving and delivering feedback.
Clarifying Expectations
Here’s a bold statement with which to start - most firms, teams and leaders aren’t clear about what’s
expected. When expectations ARE clear, projects run smoothly, and teams feel “in sync” with one
another. When expectations AREN’T clear, everyone feel out of touch and uncertain about whether they
are on track.
The ConvergenceCoaching
This applies to all environments – in-person, remote or
Commit with Clarity™
blended! However, when we work away from one another, Delegation Framework
establishing clear expectations becomes even more important.
When you delegate or make an
This section will walk you through important elements of assignment, be sure to follow these
creating an environment of clear expectations. Compare it to six steps:
how your team members operate today and strive to 1) Here is WHAT I’m asking
implement new structures to create the clarity your leaders you to commit to
and team members both crave and require. 2) This is WHO owns progress
on this deliverable
Set Clear Expectations for Work Product 3) This is WHEN I expect you
to deliver final product or
For each team member, establish one-size-fits-one status update
expectations for their role. Give them clarity over what they 4) These are the RESOURCES
need to produce and when. If there are specifics on how, or I think you’ll need (budget,
who to include, map those out too. materials to read, people
to talk to)
This might start with role-based expectations but should
5) This is how I’d like us to
quickly deviate based on the person’s strengths and the firm’s
RETURN AND REPORT
needs. A skilled business developer should be freed from while you’re working on it
certain other responsibilities to help the firm land the right
clients. People development is key in accounting firms, and 6) This is my written RECAP
of what we agreed to
those with the interest and ability to build a stronger team
should have time built into their schedule to invest in your See the tool called Six Steps to
talented people. These are just two examples that Ensure Expectations Are Met for
more on this idea.
demonstrate the benefit of a one-size-fits-one approach to
establishing expectations for work responsibilities and focus.

As you drill down to the individual project or task level, ensure that team members are trained in
delegation methodologies (see the Commit with Clarity sidebar above). Disappointment lives in the gap
between what we expect and what others produce. Shore up those gaps and see your team members
and firm flourish.
By-When Dates Make a Huge Stay in Touch on Priorities

Difference
It’s a truism that the moment you build a schedule, it’s already
When making requests or out of date. The same applies to priorities – while we’d like
assignments, include a by-when you them to be set in stone or consistent, the real world doesn’t
would like a response or the operate that way.
deliverable to be completed and
At the individual team member level, ensure each person has
returned. This will alleviate the
a go-to individual (shepherd) who works with them on setting
conflict that often occurs where the
priorities, solving problems, acting as a sounding board, and
delegator expects the deliverable “as
more. Names for the role vary – mentor, supervisor, career
soon as possible” and the recipient of
advisor – and in the end, the name matters less than definition
delegation will get to it when they
of the relationship and the consistency with which people
can. When you are explicit in your
meet.
expectations for response times,
you’ll reduce disappointment. At the Team or Firm level, produce regular communications
about team- and firm-level priorities. As you approach month-
end, the priority might shift to time entry and billing. As the
deadline for employee benefit audits nears, you may ask people to pause corporate audit work to
support the completion of important benefit plan reports. Rather than being disappointed later because
your team members didn’t shift gears when they should, ensure that you are clear about what the latest
priorities should be.
Expect Flexibility to Be a Two-Way Street (and Teach the Concept to Your Team)
Certain times of year, projects or unforeseen circumstances require more effort from team members.
For instance, as you approach big tax deadlines, you might ask specific team members to put in
additional effort, be online and available at certain times, or come into the office when they live in a
nearby geography. Or, if a team member is going on a two-week vacation, others will need to
reprioritize or even take on additional work to provide the necessary coverage. During times like these
and others, it’s expected that team members will step up to support or cover for each other, participate
in meetings at unusual times, and meet in person, too. This is called “flexing UP” to meet unusual
demand. Rather than assume the team member knows about the firm’s need for flexing up,
communicate proactively about the known demands before they occur.
This is called the two-way street philosophy – that as an employer, I am willing to be flexible with your
schedule and place of work. In return, I hope that you will also be flexible when client demands,
seasonal compression, or other needs require it. Teach the two-way street idea to your team when the
next situation dictates it. You’ll notice that the idea is built into the sample Flex and Remote Work
Guidelines tool provided for you.

Simple Tools that Foster Count-on-Ability One note of caution: when we make the mistake
of asking people to flex up as a rule, not an
• Shared Calendars with Transparent on/off Times exception, we violate the trust that our team
Labeled
members have that we’ll protect and support
• Offering Available-Time Calendars to Clients their need for flexibility. As leaders, we must
plan for the demands of the business and ask
• MS Teams/IM systems with Status Updates
others to flex up as an exception.
• Public “Work-to-Do” Lists (for more details, see
Work to Do Guidelines and Make Prioritization
Easy with WTD Lists)
Be Count-on-Able to One Another

Being crystal clear on how you’ll stay in touch with one another will create trust and confidence in what
you can expect and allow for true collaboration no matter where or when team members are working.
Availability/Accessibility – each team member should define when and where they are working
on a regular basis. Work times should be clearly reflected on calendars. When work location or
schedules change, each person should let the team know and update their calendar and status
accordingly
Workability – Defined work hours and location should meet the needs of fellow team members
and clients, whether internal or external. Said another way, schedules and locations must be
workable. For instance, if you are in a client-facing role and your clients wish to reach you during
the business day, your being available for work overnight would leave you unable to meet and
collaborate with those clients and would not be workable as a regular, planned work schedule.
Another example of a lack of workability would be working from an alternative location without
reliable internet, which would make it difficult to collaborate with clients or colleagues
Response Times – The firm or individual teams should clarify what is expected for response
times to emails, voicemails, IM’s, etc. For instance, you might request that team members
respond within one business day to any external or internal communication. If a complete
response isn’t possible or appropriate within one business day, acknowledge receipt of the
message and include a note about when a full response will be forthcoming. You may choose to
add a disclaimer that if a communication requires a timelier response, it should be handled
appropriately. And these response time commitments should probably be specific to each
service or sub-service line. For example, 24-hour turn around may work for most services, but
for M&A consultants in the middle of a transaction, 1-hour response time may be required
Be Transparent about When You’re Working (and When You Are Not) – Work relationships are
based on trust, and transparency builds trust. In addition, less senior members of the team are
watching leaders for signals as to whether it’s safe to take advantage of flexibility as to when
and where they work. Encourage team members at all levels to clearly reflect the nature of
appointments and whether those commitments are work-related or personal on their calendars.
Don’t hide your use of flexibility

Define Your Team or Firm Communication Protocols – Outline communications activities and
the appropriate communications tools to be used in each circumstance. For instance, agree on
“break-though” technologies to access people for urgent issues or outside of agreed-upon
available hours. Some teams use email, chat or IM during available hours and text when other
modes of communication aren’t working or outside of agreed upon business hours. Break-
through communication methods must be used sparingly and appropriately for them to truly
break through
Stay in Touch – Communicating as a blended or remote team takes deliberate effort and energy.
When teams are working at different times, time zones and places, communication doesn’t
happen organically by encountering each other around the office (and truthfully, you probably
don’t bump into the right people at the right time in an office environment either). Instead,
team members and their career managers or supervisors should agree upon a cadence of
regularly scheduled check-ins and meetings to stay in communication about priorities and
roadblocks. See more in the section on Maintaining Your Culture and Relationships

Do’s and Don’ts for Creating a Count-on-Able Team
DO: DON’T:
Over-communicate and communicate Be afraid to share your true circumstances or
updates/status often speak up if something isn’t “workable”
Strive to learn and honor others’ preferences Expect your colleagues to be “on” all the time
and availability constraints
Be vague about when you need things or make
Use the right mode of communication everything seem urgent
Always keep your calendar current and check Assume you know why someone isn’t getting
people’s calendar for availability back to you – ask!
Schedule time with your colleagues – ask for Ignore the communication systems in place
the time you need (calendars, Teams status, etc.)
Document expectations for both deliverables Avoid needed feedback to improve
and behaviors and write recaps of verbal performance
discussions
Institute mandates rather than dealing with
Use by-when dates individual issues and concerns
Caution Against Core Hours

Some firms put broad core hours in place like 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., overly restricting their team
members’ ability to control their own schedules. A narrower definition of core hours like 10:00 a.m. –
2:00 p.m. could leave team members confused as to whether going to lunch during this time leaves
them unavailable during a mandated work time. These types of broad mandates rarely solve the true
issue at hand. Focus on the key components above, and you will find core hours no longer apply.
Encourage team members to coordinate their schedules as needed so they can maximize in-person or
group-video-based collaboration time in smaller groups.
Identify Your Deal-Breakers

As discussed earlier related to firm culture, deal-breakers are non-negotiable elements of your business
that must survive, even as you offer team members more flexibility for where, when, and how they
work. Each firm and team are unique, but here are some possible deal-breakers that might make your
short list:
• Profitability – the firm/department/engagements must be profitable and ideally more profitable

year after year
• Client relationships – your team members must strive to develop deep and lasting relationships
with clients. This means your firm will need to use technology to develop relationships in-person
and remotely – whether through in-person meetings, telephone calls, video conferencing, social
media, or other vehicles. The method isn’t as important as the effort your people make to truly
know and care about your clients as individuals and entities

• Excellent client service – your firm must deliver excellent client service, as judged through the
eyes of your clients. In addition, you should produce a steady stream of referenceable, satisfied
clients
• Quality – your firm must produce deliverables that meet quality, technical and accuracy
standards within the profession
• Core values – your firm’s people, policies and programs must adhere to and reflect your overall
core values as defined by your leadership team
• Teamwork – your firm maximizes value delivered to clients and leverage applied to the work
when you collaborate and play well as a team
Once you’ve identified your deal-breakers, you’ll have a framework against which you can examine
requests for flexibility. And those inside your firm who are driving change will have some guardrails to
guide their proposals as well.
Encourage Team Members to Establish Boundaries

As your team members build their personal schedules for when and where they’ll be available,
encourage them to enforce their boundaries. Remind them that fellow team members won’t always
remember their schedule and gentle reminders will be necessary. If they regularly experience
emergencies that interrupt scheduled time off, or repeated requests to flex up, help them have straight
conversations about the patterns of behavior forming, asking the offending party to plan in the future to
minimize these boundary crossing actions.
Remote or blended work shouldn’t mean 24/7 work. Remind team members of that regularly, and
ensure they are getting the rest and recharge time necessary to be at their best.
www.convergencecoaching.com
@Copyright 2000 -2021
ConvergenceCoaching, LLC
MONITOR BURNOUT
All rights reserved.
Research shows that when working

remotely, some people can over-do it
Stay in touch and monitor people’s work
habits
Encourage them to strike the right
balance
• Let them know it’sokay to turn work off
@ConvergenceSays 24

Leveraging Technology
Remote or blended work is here to stay, and technology plays an integral part of making it efficient
and successful. Mobile devices, high-speed internet, enhanced security and privacy tools, and the
proliferation of collaboration and video conferencing tools have acted as enablers to the remote or
blended work movement. The impact of technology to remote or blended work, exceptional client
service and running a successful practice cannot be emphasized enough.
When you evaluate your firm’s technology strategy, consider these 10 technologies to ensure a more
remote or blended future for your organization:
• Check your leadership. If IT leadership comes from the school of “won’t” or “can’t” related to
remote or blended work, focus on their mindset shift first. IT is a strategy enabler, so if the
firm’s strategy is to empower remote or blended work, IT leadership must come along
• Get to the cloud. Move away from clunky, on-premise systems with slow network interfaces
and toward cloud-based software solutions to create more flexibility across your firm.
SmartVault surveyed over 1,100 accounting professionals around the world in April 2020, asking
about the impact of COVID-19. The survey found that firms that use more cloud-based
technology experienced minimal disruption in shifting to remote or blended during the
pandemic
• Ensure your people have the right home set up. Regardless of where they plan to work, your
people should have a productive home technology set up with seamless access to the firm’s
systems, multiple monitors, high-speed internet access, an ergonomic workstation, and great
video and sound equipment. Laptops should be the standard issue machine for all team
members, administrative personnel included. If team members don’t have the right equipment,
the firm should offer to buy it and have the employee earn it out over time worked
• Digitize everything. No more paper checks, invoices, or files. Everything in your firm and in your
clients’ organizations must become truly digital/paperless. Evaluate all your internal process for
paper-based components and identify a way to automate those to ensure your remote or
blended team members and clients have the same experience while interacting at a distance
• Further your firm’s use of portal technologies. A positive outcome of the pandemic was the
accelerated use of technology tools by all manner of clients, including those using firm portals.
Firms must continue to provide value via their portals to keep clients revisiting and comfortable
with their use
• Embrace video and audio to connect with others. Remote or blended work requires that we are
more intentional and visible in meetings, turning our cameras on and speaking up when
possible. This requires that we buy machines with quality cameras or offer a stipend for team
members to go out and acquire their own cameras and earn them out over time. Consider
whether team members would also benefit from a high-quality and ergonomic headset
• Identify which firm database will become your “single source of truth” related to client and
prospect data. In many cases, it may be the largest database in the firm. Spend time getting that
data current and preparing to update older, legacy databases

• Implement workflow and scheduling solutions that give you visibility to your team members’
capacity and workload. If you’re not sure which of these solutions makes the most sense for
your business, ask other Allinial firm leaders which solutions they’re using and strategies they
employed for implementation issues
• Make great use of collaboration tools like Teams, Skype, Zoom and other online platforms
that allow you to stream video and audio, join small meeting “rooms” to conduct heads down
work together, and teach each other new service strategies by sharing screens and involving
multiple parties in meetings
• Form an IT Innovation Committee. Have the participants of your committee confess their biases
against change. Then, listen to each participant with an open heart and mind and allow each to
contribute in their unique ways to the goals of the committee, regardless of their role. Make
sure at least one IT innovation Committee member is responsible for staying on top of trends so
your firm can anticipate and plan for big change and remain competitive
Hiring and Onboarding Remote Team Members

For years, firms have been creating remote team members by allowing trusted employees who move
away to continue working for the firm in
their new location. A key first step to Best Practices When Qualifying Remote Talent
finding remote team members is to
regularly communicate your • Qualify, qualify, qualify! Utilize your normal technical
willingness to explore a remote and cultural fit screening processes (or expand if
relationship with existing team needed)
members. Don’t assume your people • Add questions to assess experience and comfort
know this already! when working remotely
• Ask how they would stay on track, productive, in
Next, explore your firm’s alumni, or
communication and happy when working remotely
those who left your firm on positive
• Qualify your “must-haves” (e.g., required office
terms. Work with your leaders to build
space, dedicated work time, etc.) and any other
an Excel grid or database of alumni
expectations of the role
you’d like to rehire as well as those you
• Call at least three references and run a background
would not rehire but are on positive
check (steps that should be taken for ALL hires)
enough terms to share your openings
with. Be sure you identify those who
moved out of area. Assign one person to own communicating three times a year (or more) with each re-
hirable alumnus. Let out-of-area alumni know that you are building a remote or blended team, and if
they or anyone else would be interested, the opportunity exists.
To actively recruit remote talent, try the following techniques:
• Post jobs on national platforms (LinkedIn, Indeed, State Society Sites, Going
Concern/Accountingfly, Glassdoor)

• Stamp jobs “remote” in both the title and the detailed description
• Research job boards to find those where accountants hang out
• Create job postings on job boards targeted at remote employees and stay-at-home mothers
Possible Considerations for Hiring Checklist for Onboarding Remote Team

Outside Your Geography Members
• Satisfy legal requirements for 1. Prepare ahead for a remote hire’s start date:
doing business in the state of hire
• Consider reciprocity, nexus and a. Ship equipment so they are ready to go day one
income tax implications in each b. Agree upon their planned workspaces and work
state schedule
• Examine insurance requirements
• Prepare for compliance 2. Assign the team member a designated point person to
differences across borders drive their onboarding and development
• Consider requirements to 3. Be in constant communication with the remote hire
reimburse home office expenses before they start and once they begin. Have their assigned
(varies state by state) shepherd or on-boarder hold daily check-in meetings for at
least the first two weeks. Then, offer multiple touchpoints
per week during the remainder of the new hire’s first 90 days
4. Provide your remote hire with a detailed excel checklist of actions to complete during the first 30 –
90 days along with an “owner” or “teacher” of each task and a by-when date to drive accountability
5. For the training sessions, use a variety of mediums to connect Onboarding Pro Tip
and collaborate including old-fashioned phone calls, Teams or
Encourage trainers to take a
Zoom calls that allow for shared screens
few minutes to build rapport
6. Ask remote hires to shadow work like Teams calls with clients, and connect personally with
sales phone calls with prospects, client Board meetings, and trainees before diving into the
more. The goal is to provide them exposure and the work.
opportunity to experience their new team, the clients, and
the work in action
7. Include self-study and reading material to help the remote hire become familiar with your
organization. Ask them to use down time to plug into one of their scheduled self-study activities
from their onboarding checklist
8. Maintain a list of “important but not urgent” projects to shoulder if there isn’t an obvious front-
burner project to assign
9. Provide a schedule of people to connect with to develop rapport. Encourage the remote hire to
reach out proactively to schedule remote lunches or coffee breaks, providing a target number of
meetings per week to drive their progress

10. To gauge the remote hire’s capacity, ask them to create
Onboarding Pro Tip a weekly work-to-do outlining what they plan to get
accomplished. Ask their shepherd to check in regularly on
Record Teams or Zoom training how “full” the remote hire feels, discussing prioritization and
meetings so the trainee can return to ensuring the most impactful projects get handled first
the recording for assistance as they
get started, and so you can leverage 11. Assign a Remote
the videos to train other, too. Buddy to the new Onboarding Pro Tip
remote hire, usually Ask feedback providers to
someone close to their include an assessment of the
level or in a similar role. Tell your remote hire to call the trainee’s success at working
buddy “anytime about anything and nothing is off-limits” remotely.
12. Hold a remote check-in meeting at the end of the 90 days to
assess progress, share feedback and set new development goals
How Far Can Remote Team Members Progress Their Career?

Remote team members should be interchangeable with their in-office counterparts. They can supervise
teams, manage clients, build strong relationships inside and outside the firm, become plugged into the
community, bring in new business…with the right direction and agreement on expectations, they can
become managers, partners and operational leaders in your firm.
See our two Debunking Remote Myths articles (Debunking Myths about Remote Team Members – They
CAN Develop Business and Debunking Myths about Remote Work – Training Will Work) for more on
what is possible from your remote team members.
Conclusion
This guide is designed to support your firm’s evolution to a remote or blended environment. Use the
Action List that follows to identify the appropriate next steps to make progress on that journey. Be sure
to click on the links throughout the book and download those resources to assist you. And feel free to
reach out to your contacts at Allinial Global or the ConvergenceCoaching, LLC team with questions,
concerns, successes and roadblocks you experience as you evolve to this exciting and critical new
business model. We’re rooting for your success!
DISCLAIMER: This publication does not represent an official position of Allinial Global. It is distributed with the understanding
that the contributing authors and editors, and the publisher, are not rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services
in this publication. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be
sought.

Action List
 Assign a firmwide remote work champion to follow remote or blended work trends and keep
the leadership team abreast of changes and best practices
 Share this full guide with them
 Regularly highlight sections or ideas in digestible formats to educate and inform
 Check out our pre-recorded video and webinar content as a supplement to these ideas
(included in the resources)
 Read the ConvergenceCoaching 2020 Anytime, Anywhere Work™ Survey Results
Summary for additional data and best practices related to remote work management,
and participate in future surveys
 For each leadership team meeting, choose one mindset shift to discuss as a group for 10
minutes
 Survey your team members to find out what type of flex programs or innovations they would
like to see. Be sure to include questions about technologies that support remote work
 Identify 1-2 areas for improvement to implement or improve over the next year
 Once progress is made, re-survey and identify 1-2 new areas to focus on
 Work with your leadership team to develop remote work guidelines (see the sample called Flex
and Remote Guidelines)
 Once developed, consider where you can weave these messages into your recruiting
and onboarding programs
 Include training on your remote work cultural statement in management and staff
training, too
 Develop communication protocols and “how we work” documents to set clear
expectations for behavior in your new blended paradigm
 Strategize with your leadership team on changes needed to support a blended culture
 Encourage the fun committee to include both in-person and remote fun activities in
their plans
 Re-center around firm values and steps needed to “lock the values in” as your team
works more independently of one another
 Assign shepherds to each team member, along with clear expectations for how often to be in
touch
 Survey team members to ensure they are getting the appropriate contact and support
 Educate your shepherds on best practices for building rapport, staying in touch,
reaching in to seemingly disengaged team members, providing feedback, and more.
Practice a “drip” approach and provide bits and pieces of information to shepherds so as
not to overwhelm

Glossary
Accessibility – a way of working where each team member defines when and where they are working
and communicates it to their team.
Assignee – another way of denoting the person assigned to a Shepherd, Supervisor, Mentor or Buddy.
Blended or Hybrid Workforce – a workplace where team members have a choice to work from the
office, home, a client’s office, another remote location, or a blend of these options. In a remote or
blended environment, work can be completed, clients can be served, and prospects sold independent of
the location of the team members.
Count-on-able – a way the team works where team members know what to expect from one another.
Onsite/On-premise/In-person Work – work completed with the team members being in the same
physical space as each other.
Remote Buddy – the assigned person at a similar level to the team member or assignee. The Remote
Buddy is available to answer any question at any time, and nothing is “off-limits.”
Remote Work (or Anywhere Work) – work produced outside the firm’s office locations.
Response Time – an agreed upon period of time by which emails and voicemails will be returned. If a
complete response isn’t possible or appropriate within one business day, acknowledge receipt of the
message and include a note about when a full response will be forthcoming.
Shepherd/Career Advisor – the assigned “owner” of a team member or assignee. The shepherd is
responsible for staying connected to and supporting their assigned team members’ needs.
Sludge – offhand jokes and jabs made about those working flexibly and remotely, for instance, that
could mask real concerns by the person making the comments.
Workability – a collaborative idea where team members should strive to choose times and places of
work that are “workable” to the rest of the team or that facilitate the necessary collaboration. Use the
language “workable” (or not workable) to negotiate with one another and resolve conflicts.
Contact Information for the Authors at ConvergenceCoaching, LLC
Jennifer Wilson Renee Moelders

Partner and Co-Founder Partner
Email: Email:
jen@convergencecoaching.com renee@convergencecoaching.com
Ph: (402) 933-2900 Ph: (651) 332-0495


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Guide to Managing a

Remote or Blended Workforce

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 1 of 2 All rights reserved.

“To be a firm that truly embraces a blended environment, it

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 2 of 3 All rights reserved.

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 3 of 4 All rights reserved.

SAVES THE DAY AND

Why Do We Care Where They Work?

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>> Back to the Table of Contents

Making a Cultural Commitment to a Blended Workforce

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 5 of 6 All rights reserved.

Mindset Shift #2 - Let Go of the 3-D Paradigm

• Keeping your team culturally close to one another

• Bonding with a team member

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 6 of 7 All rights reserved.

• Convincing a prospect to work with your firm

• Training a new team member and providing meaningful feedback

• Elevating a manager to prepare them for partner

• Developing relationships with referral sources

Mindset Shift #3 - Avoid Sludge

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 7 of 8 All rights reserved.

To address sludge, try the following strategies:

Mindset Shift #4 - Consistency, Parity and Transparency

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• “Not on my jobs” or “Not in our department.” Some partners, managers or engagement

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Here are some examples:

Mindset Shifts are Job #1

>> Back to the Table of Contents

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Foster Strong Personal Relationships

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Help Manage Workload and Reset Expectations

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Acknowledge Your team

• Sending personal appreciation emails

• Popping in on email, Skype/Teams, Zoom or the phone to give kudos directly

• Sending group communications acknowledging team or individual wins

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 14 of 15 All rights reserved.

>> Back to the Table of Contents

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By-When Dates Make a Huge Stay in Touch on Priorities

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Be Count-on-Able to One Another

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Caution Against Core Hours

Identify Your Deal-Breakers

• Profitability – the firm/department/engagements must be profitable and ideally more profitable

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 19 of 20 All rights reserved.

Encourage Team Members to Establish Boundaries

Research shows that when working

>> Back to the Table of Contents

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 20 of 21 All rights reserved.

©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2000-2021 Page 21 of 22 All rights reserved.

>> Back to the Table of Contents

Hiring and Onboarding Remote Team Members

To actively recruit remote talent, try the following techniques:

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• Research job boards to find those where accountants hang out

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