Creating Connection and Community in the workplace improves social connectivity, allowing for the development of “supportive relationships” not limited to “close family and friends”.¹ These connections improve one’s engagement in the workplace and, given the significant time spent working, can have a large impact on overall health and well-being.

The Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health and Well-Being indicates that delivering Connection and Community relies on fulfilling the needs of social support and belonging.

In this context, social support refers to the “relationships and networks that can offer physical and psychological help, such as emotional support, informational support, and advice.” Belonging is “the feeling of being an accepted member of a group, or of connectedness given one’s interpersonal relationships.” ¹ There are several leading strategies available to fulfill the needs of social support and belonging.

Creating an inclusive culture where positive relationships render assistance and reassurance is a key approach. In these environments, all staff receive needed resources and are given opportunities to provide feedback without risk of negative perceptions or consequences. Bookminders’ staff benefit from this type of culture on a daily basis. In fact, 99% of employees indicate they are provided with the tools needed for success³ and, in a third-party administered survey, staff feedback placed Bookminders in the top 1% in Accounting/Bookkeeping for inclusivity.²

Imbuing trust in the workplace is another way to promote support and belonging, reduce stress, and improve employee performance.¹ Through clear and consistent communication, individuals feel well-informed, connected, and regarded as a whole person by their employer rather than just a set of skills and abilities. Bookminders’ leadership team can speak to the success of this approach. Our staff report they “are kept well-informed about important decisions,” resulting in “confidence in the leadership,” and conviction that the company is “going in the right direction”. ²

Lastly, fostering collaboration and teamwork creates a sense of belonging and expands the impact of the work support system. Employers are encouraged to structure teams and collaborations with intention and purpose, fully resourcing staff with the right tools and processes to support success.

The rise of hybrid and remote work has created barriers to team and interdepartmental collaboration. Bookminders has demonstrated how these barriers can be overcome, ensuring a productive, remote-first collaborative environment since 1991. Our employee feedback places Bookminders in the top 1% for interdepartmental collaboration, innovation, and efficiency across all benchmarked Accounting/Bookkeeping firms.²

Uncover why Laura, Francoise, and Pam feel supported and remain connected to our Bookminders community, no matter where life has taken them! Next week, we’ll examine the final element of the Framework, Protection from Harm.

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The Opportunity for Growth element of the Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health and Well-Being is dependent on fulfilling the needs of learning and accomplishment. In this Framework, “learning is the process of acquiring new knowledge and skills in the workplace” and accomplishment provides a “sense of competence that reduces stress, anxiety, and self-doubt.”¹ 

Learning and accomplishment are well-supported when employers offer appropriate training, share well-timed and relevant feedback, and identify “clear, equitable pathways for career advancement.”¹ Bookminders understands that, through proper training, staff are assured that leadership cares about their success and is willing to make the investment to support it. In an anonymous, third-party survey, our employee feedback placed Bookminders in the top 1% of Accounting/Bookkeeping firms for both providing formal training and for “enabling employees to work at their full potential.”²

Eliciting feedback is crucial for both employee and company growth. Through risk-free opportunities to share mutual feedback, employees are able to capitalize on their strengths and mitigate weaknesses, while employers receive insight into the perceived effectiveness of tools and resources. Bookminders provides multiple avenues for individual and group feedback internally and through an external, third-party managed platform. In our bi-annual internal staff survey, 100% of employees report they receive timely and useful feedback from their manager, are provided with the resources to easily get answers to questions, and feel their manager is understanding of mistakes and helps to course correct.³

The last strategy to support the Opportunity for Growth element is the provision of fair and accessible advancement opportunities. Remote work can expand these prospects among individuals for whom the traditional, full-time in-office structure is not ideal.

Bookminders was founded with a remote-first mentality in 1991, well before work-from-home was recognized as a business norm. Our platform, resources, and tools have been structured to  enable employees to capitalize on advancement opportunities offered within their client portfolio, through special teams and projects, and through the ascension to senior and management roles. In fact, 100% of our employees feel they are provided with opportunities to grow their client portfolio, if they so choose.³ Staff feedback has placed Bookminders in the top 1% of Accounting/Bookkeeping firms for both “supporting professional development” and “employee motivation to give their best.” ²

Discover how Melanie, Vanessa and Karen have each leveraged their Opportunities for Growth with Bookminders. In our next Wellness installment, we’ll explore Connection and Community.

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Meaning and dignity are central to the Mattering at Work element of the Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health and Well-Being. In this component, dignity refers to the “sense of being respected and valued” while meaning is defined as “the broader purpose and significance of one’s work” ¹

The Framework further identifies four strategies an employer can use to cultivate dignity and meaning in their workplace.

These strategies include compensating fairly for work completed, communicating and including workers in decision making, building a culture of recognition and thanks, and reinforcing how an individual’s work supports the organization’s mission.

Bookminders’ unique compensation structure ensures that our accountants are rewarded for accuracy and efficiency, and it  places the power to scale their wages and workload in their hands. In fact, 100% of our employees report they have the opportunity to change the size and structure of their client portfolio to increase compensation.² Additionally, in an anonymous, third-party survey, Bookminders placed in the top 1% of Accounting/Bookkeeping firms for fair compensation.³

Internal communications within bookminders is appropriate and effective, as confirmed by 100% of our staff. ² Through transparent, timely information, our leadership ensures that staff know how the work they are doing furthers our business objectives. Furthermore, 100% of our employees report that Bookminders considers the well-being of all employees when making company decisions. ²

Finally, ensuring staff feel seen, heard, and valued is core to the Bookminders culture. 100% of our staff report the work they do is appreciated by their manager and clients, that their manager listens and effectively responds to their concerns, has realistic expectations of them, and is committed to helping them succeed. ²  When benchmarked against other Accounting/Bookkeeping firms, our employee feedback placed bookminders in the top 1% for ensuring that staff are well-informed and diverse points of view are encouraged. ³  Perhaps our success in these areas is the reason  Bookminders ranks in the top 1% of Accounting/Bookkeeping firms in terms of providing meaningful work. ³

Read why Erica and Bob feel that their work at Bookminders has led to an increased sense of significance and value. Next week we’ll examine how learning and accomplishment create an Opportunity for Growth.

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The Surgeon General identifies flexibility and autonomy as integral to successfully providing the Framework’s element of Work-Life Harmony. As referenced in this Framework, flexibility is the “ability of workers to work when and where is best for them” and autonomy is the degree to which an employee has “control over when, where, and how they do their work.”¹

Our staff have always benefited from an employee-centric culture built on the concepts of flexibility and work-life balance. In fact, 96% of our employees identify flexibility as the top benefit of working at Bookminders and 95% report they are comfortable adjusting their workload both up and down to best fit their life.

Through our core value of supported autonomy, Bookminders sets employees up for success. Staff have extensive control over their work and access to crucial support, resources, and guidance. 100% of our employees report they are appreciated by their manager and clients, 99% report they are provided with the tools to be successful and 100% agree they are able to easily get answers when questions arise.²

Bookminders believes that providing support is foundational to an employee having the ability to exercise their autonomy. While delivering our services does require staff to adhere to certain work methodologies and security policies, our employees are otherwise free to determine how, when, and where they work and what clients they add to their portfolio. Bookminders’ staff are treated like the professionals they are, knowing they are trusted and valued by their manager, coworkers, and clients.

Read Lisa’s story about Creating Harmony with Bookminders and stay tuned for the next Newsminders Wellness installment, Mattering at Work.

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Over the past several years workers have reassessed what they value most from their employer while at the same time companies have examined how best to attract and retain employees. On both counts, initiatives that buoy mental and physical wellness have received renewed investment and emphasis. In fact, 62% of workers polled listed access to employee wellness benefits as a deciding factor when applying for a new job.”¹

In the accounting industry, where work requiring long hours and inflexible schedules seems unavoidable, successfully pairing work and wellness can be particularly elusive.

Despite the difficulties in obtaining this balance, firms must craft an environment where employee wellness is both possible and actively supported. Their very ability to continue operating depends on it.

A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that “More than 300,000 U.S. accountants and auditors have left their jobs in the past two years, a 17% decline, and the dwindling number of college students coming into the field can’t fill the gap.”² Stress, long hours, and inflexible scheduling are among the top causes for accountants calling it quits.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. Year after year, the Journal of Accountancy has identified finding and retaining talent as one of the top issues facing the industry.³ Firms that prioritize employee wellness have the best chance at closing the talent gap.

Identifying the components that lead to wellness are key to crafting a culture that enables it. The 2022 Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health and Well-Being Report names five essential qualities that, when centered on providing the employee with a proper voice, are meant to provide a foundation for employee wellness. The Framework’s five elements are: Opportunity for Growth, Mattering at Work, Work-Life Harmony, Connection & Community, and Protection from Harm.⁴ These foundational concepts are already quite familiar to Bookminders’ employees as they are also core components of our company culture!

Over the next several Newsminders installments, we’ll share how Bookminders’ values align with each of these wellness components. Through this knowledge share, we hope to provide potential applicants with greater insight into our culture while assisting our audit partners in examining how they can prioritize wellness at their firms.

Check back for the next installment in this series: Work-Life Harmony

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