A day in the life of a CPA: Elisabeth Green

You have an alternative schedule with Hoffman, Stewart & Schmidt, can you briefly describe the arrangement?

My schedule is predictable – I work 40 hours per week – all year! Granted, sometimes I need to put in a few extra hours in the weeks around the deadlines to make sure my clients are served properly, but a few hours during the end of tax season versus overtime for thirteen weeks is a win for me.

With this arrangement, I have to consider, more than most, the limitations of my schedule and the projects I can say “yes” to, and it’s forced me to prioritize well and work efficiently.

This is my fifth tax season utilizing this schedule – the first was in 2021, when I came back from maternity leave after the birth of my first child. I’ve never felt more grateful for the arrangement than this year, as I’m due with my third just days before the April deadline. Instead of worrying about meeting my overtime hours, I can simply focus on making sure that my clients are taken care of before I go on leave.

How do you advance professionally while also succeeding at work/life balance?

I’ve experienced two promotions while working my alternative schedule, which speaks to the fact that work/life balance is not a barrier! I’m not an outlier either; plenty of others on alternative schedules at my firm have also been promoted.

I have worked hard for each of my promotions, but find that it’s important to put just the right amount of pressure on myself. I have to know my limits, and when I have the capacity in my personal life to either take on a little extra responsibility at work, or to just simply do my best. Sometimes this is a daily judgement call, and sometimes it’s for a season. I make sure that I’m reasonable with my own expectations, and stay attuned to when my mind and body are giving me signals that I need to slow down. I also rely on constant communication with my husband, and try to ask the hard questions. It’s helpful to get his perspective on how my job is affecting both our relationship and my attention to our daughters. We can then work together and strategize on how to best support each other during busier times.

An important part of balance for myself is intentionally spending time with my family, as well as doing the things that I enjoy. After work, we’ll often sit down to a family game of Go Fish, or the girls will perform a concert. The girls and I read together every evening before bed – right now we’re working our way through Mary Poppins and a book about Jane Goodall. As far as my own self-care goes, I’m a voracious reader – over one hundred books every year! I find my escape and relaxation by reading about characters with much heavier concerns than my own – Fourth Wing, anyone?

In your opinion, what is key to making alternative schedules successful?

Communication, delegation, and proper prioritization.

When someone hands me a project, I need to think clearly and communicate. Instead of an automatic yes or no, I briefly describe my current workload, and when I can expect to complete the new project. I’ll make sure to ask when something’s due, and assess what else I need to complete during that timeframe. Sometimes, it takes compromise. Can I pass off some easier parts to an associate who is looking for work, and save the complex portions for myself?

A large part of the transition to manager – and senior manager – has been effective delegation. I’m sure that everyone struggles with wanting to do it all themselves – I know that I do! But I simply could not get everything done if I didn’t delegate. Influenced by other leaders in our firm, I try to think outside of the box and delegate easier portions of projects to newer staff.

Finally, prioritization. It’s a work in progress – always – but I write down everything I need to do each day in a physical planner, and rank each task. Some of them take five minutes, and others five hours. I’ll then start to work through my list, and might reprioritize as emails and other necessities arise. Towards the end of the day, I have a calendar reminder that pops up and tells me to take time to address any emails that must be taken care of before I shut down my computer.

What questions do you recommend aspiring CPAs ask of potential employers when seeking employment?

I would be curious to know whether anyone in the firm has an alternative schedule. Is it found across all levels, or just one? Even if I weren’t planning to work an alternative schedule myself, this could be a helpful determiner of where the firm is at in regards to work/life balance.

An additional question would be about overtime hours. What are the firm’s expectations both annually and during busy season? Do these expectations change by level? Transparency is important. Ask to talk with other employees about their experience!

What is the culture from the top down? Do firm leaders take time off work and lead by example with their work/life balance? If you had to leave early due to an appointment, would that create an issue? What happens when an employee gets sick during busy season – a pretty reliable scenario, given the plethora of diseases that float around during the wintertime?

How do you measure success, particularly in terms of personal growth and balance?

Success for me is when I can spend quality time with my family and set aside time for the things I love, without being concerned that I have unfinished work. It’s when my body and mind are at peace both at work and afterwards. While both invariably bleed into each other, success to me is when I can compartmentalize enough to where I can be fully present where I am.