Once again in 2011 Ennis, Pellum CPAs has been selected as one of the Best Places to Work in the northeast Florida area. We take great pride in this honor and will continue to keep our team members at the center of our firm culture.
Interview with Anna Brosche
The following is an interview with Anna Lopez Brosche, Ennis, Pellum and Associates Managing Partner. In it Anna expresses the firm's philosophy regarding the building of a successful people-centric firm culture.
Q: What is your philosophy on people?
A: Ever since the firm was established in 1978, we have remained committed to a single vision: Helping our clients and our people achieve success in business and in life. We know that success means different things to different people and this philosophy is at the core of everything we do. We are proud of our customer focused ethic and just like we make it our priority to understand our clients' goals, we work with each of our people to plan their specific career paths and recognize their personal goals and motivations. We foster a strong belief in the importance of work/life balance and we offer a flexible work schedule to allow our team members to balance their work commitments with their personal schedules and priorities. Some might think that this flexibility creates difficulties with meeting deadlines and keeping clients satisfied but we've found the opposite to be true. Giving our people greater control over their individual and work schedules has resulted in our employees going the extra mile for our clients and the firm as needed.
Q: How would you describe your culture?
A: We are a growing firm and this creates a challenging environment which enables people to grow and develop new skills. Each employee is paired up with a mentor who provides ongoing support and also works with the individual to plan their career path. New and fresh ideas on how to conduct our daily operations are welcomed and encouraged, and everyone is considered to have an integral role in the collective goal of the firm. All team members are invited to join business development activities comprised of teams ranging from new staff all the way to partner. We are big on using communication to help people understand their role, what is expected of them, and how best they can contribute to the firm's growth and success. Each year, we dedicate an entire day to a 'state of the firm' event for all of our people. We use this day to keep everyone connected on where we are going, to celebrate successes and achievement, to share ideas and to create two-way dialogue. The day is very interactive and we always go off-site to ensure that we don't have distractions. One tool that has helped us tremendously with communication in the firm centers around understanding personality and communication styles. This effort has been transformative for many and strengthened the firm's culture.
Q: Which specific perks and rewards do you offer people to make them love where they work?
A: We have a comprehensive program of items and activities that we offer to all of our staff, including anniversary and promotional awards, in-office team meals, a game station in our break room, fresh fruit and baked goods, a firm book club, a firm sponsored attendance at a Jacksonville Jaguars game, college basketball tickets, participation in community volunteerism, and ongoing leadership and professional development training. We have a Fun Committee staffed by diverse members of our team and they collect input from the greater team to keep perks fresh and plan activities that foster team work and fun interaction. Given the seasonality of our business, we also offer "busy season" perks like in-office massages by a massage therapist, a busy-season kick-off event focusing on team building and deadline celebrations at local restaurants for all firm staff. We also have an annual firm outing where we take the entire firm for a day at venues such as Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and Jekyll Island, GA. We try hard to be thoughtful and deliberate about responding to the needs of our diverse staff (age, gender and even a mix of nationalities) and although team members might not value each perk and reward equally, they tell us that they do appreciate the firm taking an interest in offering things that their peers can enjoy.
Back
