accountingtoday.com
Dec. 13, 2010-Jan. 10, 2011 | accounting today
Johnson Jacobson Wilcox
In Las Vegas, a warm welcome
Even before a new employee starts at Johnson Ja- cobson Wilcox, the firm aims to make their initial experience special. Two weeks before the person starts, they are sent a full-color orientation binder,
logo portfolio, business cards and a logo dress shirt. In an
effort to provide a warm welcome, every new hire is greeted
at the front door by an assigned “buddy” to help ease those
first-day jitters, and they are also given a $500 gift certificate
to supplement their professional wardrobe. The goal? To
make the first day a memorable one in an employee’s work
life history.
But that’s not all. The 23-person, five-partner firm offers a
$6,000 recruiting bonus for every employee who recommends
a new applicant who is hired, a bonus of $1,500 for passing
the CPA Exam, and full health benefits. Aside from that, the
firm offers an annual bonus pool calculated on 6.5 percent of
firmwide net income before partner compensation. Every employee — from the receptionist to the most senior accounting
staff — is eligible to participate, and financial statements are
posted monthly on the firm’s intranet so everyone can watch
the bonus pool accrue.
“I think everybody recognizes that they have a role in help-
ing us be successful, helping us be efficient, serve clients well,
to help us support each other and be collaborative,” said Gary
Johnson, the firm’s president and managing partner. “Whether
it’s our receptionist and how well she greets clients, or it’s ad-
ministrative people being efficient and serving the accounting
staff, we are all in this. We all have parts in serving clients well
and when we do that we are going to be successful.”
At its weekly Monday morning staff meeting, new infor-
mation regarding prospects, new clients and general firm
updates are shared with the employees. “They get the same
information that the partners do, and we go over key perfor-
mance indicators so they understand the business of a CPA
firm,” Johnson said. “We just like them to know that. They
don’t know what each partner makes individually, but they
know how much we are splitting.”
The downturn in the economy hit Las Vegas hard, and even
though the firm has historically done very well financially,
according to Johnson, the partners have had to absorb cuts
in compensation — something Johnson said the partners feel
is a good lesson in leadership for the employees to see. “As
partners, we have always shared our financial information
and the rewards of being a partner at this firm, because we
see that as an incentive,” he said. “But at the same time, being
leaders means that we have to demonstrate that we are willing
to sacrifice for the betterment of the firm and our collective
future. That’s why we took the pay cut.”
Even still, the partners decided not to reduce any of the
employees’ perks, though raises weren’t as big as in previous
years. “We did not freeze salaries, we did not reduce benefits,”
Johnson said. “We just thought it was the wrong thing to do.
“Our people are just way too valuable and are way too good.
As a partner group, we really appreciate all these people that
we have.”
Within the last year the firm introduced a recognition pro-
gram, where employees’ work anniversaries are celebrated
at their three-, five-, seven-, 10-, 15- and 20-year marks, and
gifts are given during staff meetings. Other employees are en-
couraged to speak on behalf of the recognized person or offer
“testimonials,” so that the individual walks out feeling seen and
appreciated, not only by management but by their peers.
— Liz Gold
