Using Your Company Vision to Build A Compelling Culture For Your Accountancy Firm

The workplace has evolved drastically in recent years.  

Hybrid and remote teams have become increasingly common among accountancy firms, leading to distributed staff across a huge landscape. In this environment, new challenges are beginning to emerge. Not only can it be difficult to manage and guide your team, but maintaining a strong company culture can be troublesome too. 

More than just an industry buzzword, company culture is key to engaging, revitalising, and inspiring staff in your finance company. Fortunately, organisations can strengthen their brand essence and relationships with staff by embedding a clear vision into their culture.  

The Connection Between Vision and Company Culture 

Though the term “company culture” has been difficult to define for many accountancy firms over the years, research consistently shows its essential to a strong business strategy. A company’s culture refers to its operational processes and the values and missions used to align team members and inspire productivity.  

A brand “vision” is the ideas and concepts behind a company that helps to guide each employee and stakeholder toward a specific future. A good vision can give employees direction and purpose when woven into the fabric of company culture.  

According to studies from Deloitte, around 44% of employees say being aligned with the company’s purpose (vision), values, and mission is important to their satisfaction. By creating a clear vision statement, companies show their finance employees how their work influences the company’s future and what they’re working towards.  

A culture inspired and enhanced by brand vision drives engagement and keeps employees on the same page, even when distributed through hybrid and remote working strategies.  

How to Embed Vision into Company Culture 

For a brand vision to significantly impact your employees and your business’s future, it needs to be more than just a statement. Vision needs to be evident in the values and operations of the business. It should help to guide everything from hiring and onboarding practices to decision-making for the company.  

So, how do you bring a clear vision into your company culture? 

Step 1: Define Your Vision and Values 

The first step in infusing brand vision into company culture is creating a clear picture of where the business is headed. Your accountancy company should start by setting specific goals for the business. For instance, do you want to become the most trustworthy brand among B2B organisations or smaller businesses?  

For a vision to be effective, it also needs to be defined by a clear set of values, which will guide the behaviour and actions of each team member. Don’t just set a goal to be the best accountancy company in your area. Determine how you’re going to achieve this mission. Perhaps you want to focus heavily on empathy for customers, exceptional proactivity, or punctuality.  

Avoid jargon and buzzwords when communicating your vision statement to your accountants, as this can lead to confusion. Instead, use clear terms to highlight what the business stands for, and ensure you describe your vision as often as possible on your website, in job descriptions, and even in the statements or updates you share with teams. 

Step 2: Embed Vision into the Recruitment Process 

To create a strong company culture, you first need the right employees. Focusing on hiring staff members who share the same values as your company will make it easier to bring your vision to life. This means it’s worth thinking about the traits you want to look for in your accounting professionals, aside from their qualifications.  

Work with your financial recruitment team to seek out candidates with characteristics core to your company’s vision. For instance, if you want to deliver the most trustworthy level of service to your clients, you’ll need to seek out people who are open, honest, and transparent.  

You can also list some of the traits you’re looking for and highlight your company’s vision and values in your job descriptions. Competency-based interview questions will also help you determine whether your potential candidates’ behaviour aligns with your vision.  

Step 3: Introduce Vision in the Onboarding Process 

The onboarding process is important in setting your new employees in the accountancy industry up for success. Studies show individuals who get a good onboarding process are more likely to last at least three years at their chosen company. During the onboarding process, you can introduce your candidates to the culture of your business and what kind of values you prioritise when assessing work and outcomes.  

Now is also an excellent time to highlight the organisation’s vision and tell new hires how they will contribute to achieving certain goals. Giving your team members a sense of purpose and providing insights into how their work will be evaluated will ensure they focus on the right things when trying to impress their managers.  

Arrange regular meetings where business leaders can continue highlighting the company’s vision to new employees as they get used to new roles. 

Step 4: Train Leaders to Embody the Company Vision 

For a company culture and vision to be effective, the core values and goals of your accountancy firm need to be frequently demonstrated by leaders and managers. The managers in your team should clearly understand the company’s overall vision and how each employee contributes towards it.  

At the same time, these staff members should effectively provide feedback and guidance to other employees, which helps move them closer to the brand vision. Leaders must be committed to consistently communicating with staff and keeping them updated on the company’s progress with high transparency.  

Leaders also need to connect with individual employees regularly, answer their questions about the firm’s vision, and address any potential signs of impending burnout.  

Step 5: Consistently Refine Your Vision Statement 

Finally, every team member builds and refines the best company cultures. This means accountancy firms need to listen to their professionals and gather feedback about how their actions may or may not be contributing to any desired outcomes. 

Encouraging regular employee feedback helps create a clearer vision statement that aligns with the business’s core expectations. Team members should feel comfortable reaching out to senior staff members and asking for guidance when they believe a task or action goes against the business’s vision statement.  

When everyone in the team feels they have a strong voice, capable of impacting the direction and development of the company, they’re more likely to be invested in the brand.  

Thanks 

Rachel 

About Rebus Financial Recruitment    

Rebus Financial Recruitment provides a specialist and focused recruitment service to its customers, ranging from various organisations, including SMEs, to large PLCs.     

We strive to offer both the client and candidate a seamless recruitment experience. Using our expertise, we get to the heart of employer and employee needs, and, in doing so, we match the two perfectly. Contact one of our team today to find out more, or you can call us on 01282 930930.