Most partners will tell you that the firm’s most important resource is its employees and believe that, from the senior partner to the office junior, everyone should be focused on the well-being of the business and its clients. But how many practices fully utilise and communicate with this valuable resource? In my experience, not nearly enough.

Many firms have introduced comprehensive staff appraisal systems that will help them to identify individual talents and abilities and these can play a key role in the personal development of the individual and the general development of the business. But the feedback received is in a formal environment and may not cover the employee’s personal feelings about the firm. In its own way, feedback of a more personal nature can be a very valuable insight for the partners.

Many firms will routinely undertake client surveys, but few ever consider surveying their own staff. Do you think you know everyone so well that you don’t need to ask them what they think? Perhaps it has never occurred to you that your employees could be a mine of valuable information.

A confidentially-conducted survey is essential so employees are free to express their views. A well-designed questionnaire would cover everything from levels of job satisfaction to ideas for making the firm or individual departments more productive or efficient. It would also be an opportunity for everyone to ‘get things off their chests’.

Although some aspects of the questionnaire will be covered in the annual performance review, people tend to be more honest when they know the answers they give will have no negative consequences. Other issues covered could include suggestions for improving the workplace; ideas for generating new business; or changes in working practices to improve the delivery of services to clients.

The latter is particularly important because the people who develop the systems are not the ones actually doing the work. It is the people working at th e coalface who are most likely to think of better ways of doing things, but least likely to suggest changes unless specifically asked to do so.

Firms that conduct employee surveys will often use the results to create an agenda for a brainstorming session involving a staff focus group who can provide regular feedback on issues and events in the firm. Its members get together to address issues that the survey has revealed or discuss the suggestions that have been made.

Partners worry about what might be revealed by a staff survey, but without communication and knowledge there is no prospect of finding out how or where to improve the workings of the firm.

Accountancy practices are full of bright, intelligent, creative people. Given a little more encouragement, their contribution to the success of the business could be so much greater.

Phil Shohet is a director of Kato Consultancy