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Motivate your team during tax return season

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5th Jan 2018
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If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs, then you must be the team leader. Della Hudson has tips for taking the team with you over the hurdles to complete those last few returns.

Trust

It is of limited use trying to motivate your team to raise their game during the busiest period of the year if you haven’t earned their trust beforehand. Although you need to pull out all the motivational stops during tax return season, these are things that you should be doing throughout the year.

Every team is made up of individuals and it is likely that they are all motivated differently. Hopefully, you will have already established this, but if this is your weak spot, personality profiles can help to simplify this complex area.

Reward motivation

Some people are motivated by money or another sort of benefit awarded for achieving their target of X returns completed in a particular period. The difficulty with setting a target of tax returns completed is whether this should be a team or an individual target.

Also, think about how you should make allowances for unexpected complications in the work. Of course, all targets should be realistic. It’s no use setting a target of 100 tax returns when there is physically only time to complete 80.

Pride motivation

Some people are motivated by personal or professional pride in a job well done. The simple way to reward this is just to remember to praise them on what they have already achieved. They enjoy helping clients, but this still needs to be recognised by you. Gifts or celebration meals are also a simple thank you.

Breaking down the numbers

It is quite common for staff to feel overwhelmed when faced with a huge number of tax returns to be completed. We start off by focussing on those requiring accounts. Whilst we do chip away at the quick tax returns as well, the main numbers we focus on are the time hogs.

Every so often we’ll switch and do a day of the little tax returns, as it is quite satisfying to clear a large number of returns quickly. As we use the online signature software it is often possible to get these quick returns signed and submitted the same day, which is doubly rewarding.

Boss’s role

If you are not usually hands-on in the tax department, then your presence may be demotivating, unless it is clear that you’re working hard on something else. Alternatively, you could bring in essential, edible supplies. At the very least you could do the tea or coffee run.

Keep calm!

As the manager or business owner, your shoulders should be broad. It is not your job to hand down your stress to your team.

If they are not able to complete the work in time, then it is up to you to arrange additional resource. I have always found it useful to have admin staff chasing in books and signatures so that the technical team is free to focus their energy on the tax work.

Tips for success

Here are my tips for a happy team, which can be used however you structure your workload during the busy period:

  • Always say “thank you” for a job well done
  • Focus on the work done, not the number of returns remaining, until you get close to the end
  • You can display the percentage complete visually in a number of ways
  • Supply food and drink and snacks, perhaps a bowl of fruit alongside biscuits and chocolates
  • Insist on taking lunch and other breaks, so your team will come back refreshed
  • Try to avoid overtime where possible, especially as some staff may be juggling additional family, school, and other activities
  • Time off in lieu ensures that everybody recovers

During the last weekend of January (we are usually finished well before then) we usually celebrate with a meal out in a decent restaurant. Partners of the team members are invited too as they have often had to pick up the slack at home while the team members are working flat out.

It’s a great opportunity to reinforce the team spirit after the toughest period of the year as well as to say thank you.

Replies (8)

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By Trethi Teg
06th Jan 2018 09:10

Just as bad and useless as the last article written by this contributor. Please AW publish content which is of use and interest not this type of topical space filler.

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Replying to Trethi Teg:
Tom Herbert
By Tom Herbert
08th Jan 2018 12:55

Thanks for your comment. We don't expect every article on the site to appeal to every reader.

As editor of the site I value Della's experience and know-how, and will continue to run her articles for as long as she's willing to write them.

All the best,

Tom

Thanks (3)
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By Brian Mcculloch Glasgow
06th Jan 2018 11:27

I think this is a great article written by Della Hudson focussing on all the key points to keep the employees happy - Brian Mcculloch Glasgow.

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By youngloch
06th Jan 2018 14:00

Easier said than done when you get the troops in on a Saturday and all the HMRC systems are broken!

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Replying to youngloch:
Della Hudson FCA
By Della Hudson
08th Jan 2018 15:09

Agreed. I don’t think there’s been such a bad year for HMRC IT for a while.

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By Sheepy306
07th Jan 2018 20:46

A few good general pointers and reminders there, which should be applied to all staff (tax and non-tax alike) throughout the year.

I always thought though that the reward for the tax department being “busy” in January was being “not busy” for the other 11 months of the year!! :-)

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Stepurhan
By stepurhan
08th Jan 2018 14:13

If you reward people for completing X tax returns, then you are asking for trouble. They will either concentrate on the quick and easy returns, or rush the more complicated ones. £X fee value of returns instead (assuming the tougher returns come with the higher bills) might be better, though that even that risks stuff being rushed out to meet the quota.

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By Lesser Tax
09th Jan 2018 10:01

Empowered and trusted staff don't need their hands holding. That is very old school management. Talent, ability and training gives a team easily the capability to cope with January. The team are not as stretched as the practice management part of the firm as the power of many small contributions helps. So it does not all fall on one person. The work allocation is key. The clients who do not play ball, we have to be philosophical and not create stress from what is out of our sphere of influence. Refreshments all year round rather than just Jan? Why not. Owner making the coffee? Why not encourage the team to take small breaks and have coffees. An owner would usually be involved in the doing to some extent and not just sat with their feet up staring at CCTV and dealing with new orders.

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