Good morning!
America has an accountant problem. More than 300,000 accountants have left their jobs in the last two years, and fewer are taking the examination required to become a CPA.
As such, accounting firms, large and small, are experimenting with how to attract and retain an increasingly sparse talent pool.
In August, BDO USA, the U.S. member firm of the BDO International accounting network and sixth largest accounting firm in the country, announced the formation of an employee stock ownership program (ESOP), granting more than 10,000 eligible employees part ownership of the firm.
Through the program, employees can invest 10% of their salary annually into an allocation account, which they can access upon retirement. The aim is that employees will be motivated to stay with BDO longer—including those who aren't looking to make partner—since the plan has a six-year vesting period, and the longer a worker stays at the firm and contributes to the program, the more money with which they will retire.
“Many people coming into the profession today…they're not necessarily looking to work 12, 13 years before they make partner in the firm,” says Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO USA. “This allows us to create something that's called beneficial interest, where they get an interest in the firm's future profits. The more the firm makes, the more we’ll likely payout to employees in an additional allocation.”
Berson may just be on the right track, as ESOP companies tend to see lower turnover and higher employee performance than companies without such plans.
However, the stock ownership program isn’t the only way BDO addresses the accountant shortage. The firm aims to double its offshore workforce to 5,000 people over five years and offers benefits to boost employee retention, such as allowing teams to set their own hybrid work policies.
“There’s no silver bullet” to driving retention, says Cathy Moy, BDO’s chief people officer. But she believes the investment plan is an important piece of the puzzle to attract and hold onto top talent.
Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion
