When Uncle Covid Came to Stay

Sir Walter Scott likely gave us the phrase, “It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good.” Cynical, yes. But, fundamentally correct. In the face of Uncle Covid’s ill wind, BVFLS practices are adapting by leveraging remote workers differently and inventing new approaches to employee transition.

Once upon a time, remote working was the exception and not the rule. For many people, it is now the rule. A change is that reluctance to hire to work remotely from Day One is falling away. Practice leaders tell us they are prepared to hire someone who starts and stays permanently remote. So far, these roles focus on a narrow range of engagement types (e.g., financial reporting). Hiring is at a manager level and above, owing to the expectation that the years of experience signal the necessary maturity.

In a different case, a practice leader seeking a successor connected with someone he and everyone else in the firm thought was perfect. Exceptional circumstances meant that, on the one hand, the successor could spend extended days at the firm, and on the other, could not relocate to the firm’s market for over a year. The experience of living in a virtual world, especially when it came to delivering reports to clients, let the practice leader see a way to a creative transition process even with his successor at a distance.

Sooner or later, we will say goodbye to the disruption that Uncle Covid caused. Even when it does, practice leaders should think about how to advantage of the changes that are showing up. Contact us to talk about how your practice might benefit.