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...with offices throughout the southeast. During the past two years the firm's Richmond Practice has undergone attrition problems, specifically in the functional area of Audit and Assurance. These have included several senior managers and one partner. Reasons cited for the departures have been a lack of work life balances, burnout and management responsiveness to concerns.
The political environment is very territorial with individual partners guarding areas of expertise, staff and clients. Senior managers and manager are encouraged to take ownership of client interactions and use their best judgment to make decisions as if they were a partner. However, these decisions have a habit of being countermanded when in conflict with a partner or partner's personal preference, even when the decision was made in the best interest of the firm.
The attrition problems in A&A have been primarily caused by several gaps in the practice's management. While there is a partner in charge of the functional area he is often left in the shadow of the Partner in Charge of the Practice (PIC). This situation has destroyed the credibility of the functional head's authority. This gap became even worse when the PIC was elevated to a regional position in charge of all state offices. This situation has left a lack of coordination, ability of the functional area to resolve conflict and make effective decisions, which has resulted in disgruntled employees.
I would recommend that the role of the practice PIC be filled. Once installed the PIC and A&A functional head should hold several sessions with the staff gain feedback and should be followed up with several programs built to improve morale based on the staff's concerns. Furthermore, the PIC and functional area head should work with the partner group to ensure the correct alignment and adherence to corporate empowerment...
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