Employees and work schedules

[sdtaxman]

How many hours do you require out of your employees during the tax season? I feel that 80 - 90 isn't out of line because they want to go to 30-35 during the summer. Just wondering how the rest deal with the hours.

[S T]

Me

I have two office girls, that don't prepare taxes and are on regular hourly payroll. They answer phones, collate returns, invoice, file and do write up work for accounting, etc.

They are on regular 40 hours per week, each, and if need be will work after hours or on a Saturday. For those hours I pay time and half.

You need to investigate your State Labor Laws, as if you have more than 40 hours per week (most States) you have to pay overtime at either time and half or double time. That increases your payroll and your workman's comp insurance.

Reduced hours off tax season do not compensate for extra hours during tax season.

Sandy

[Beth]

work schedules

80-90 hours per week probably is an unreasable expectation for an hourly person, especially over several months. It allows for no personal life, and especially if they have children, adds real stress.

I'd suggest you hire some temps to handle the more mundane tasks during tax season. You get more from the extra hours than they do, so are more inclined to do so.

If your are going to insist on those hours, make it worth their while during tax season. Job satisfaction as ranked by employees is usually not about the money.

[JoshinNC]

80 hours a week?

How many returns are you doing, and how many employees do you have? To get to that number of hours you would have to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our rule is that we are here everyday from 8-5 M-F with appointments available after those hours or on Saturday by request. I usually spend 2-3 nights a week working until 6:30 or 7 and do 2-3 appointments on Saturday. But, after those appts. leave, I do too. I have worked on Sunday afternoon, but my office TV is on and my daughter's here with me.

I have a life just like my clients, and if they don't like it they can find someone else to help them. I even schedule one afternoon every other week during tax season to play a round of golf, go to my daughter's school to volunteer or just sit in my sunroom and watch the boats on the river. You have to remember that being at the office all the time will never get you everything you want.

[taxmandan]

I have a life just like my clients, and if they don't like it they can find someone else to help them. I even schedule one afternoon every other week during tax season to play a round of golf, go to my daughter's school to volunteer or just sit in my sunroom and watch the boats on the river. You have to remember that being at the office all the time will never get you everything you want.

Agree with JoshinNC. And since my wife and I are the preparers in the office we have a strict rule: no discussion of taxes or clients after we leave the office, home is for family.

[sea-tax]

It all depends on who you are talking about. My bookkeepers stay to a 40-45 hour per week schedule. My front office and support staff durring tax season stay to 45-50 hour work week.
Now my Accountants and Preparers stay until the job is done. They are all salary and work thier butts off durring tax season but get to take a lot of time off in the summer months. It is a fair trade. Average preparer will work 10-13 hours a day durring the week, 8 hours on Saturday and usually come in on Sunday if they so choose. My average preparer will do about 350-400 returns of all types. Plus any financial planning work they choose to do.

I personally worked for Feb about 340 hours give or take.