1. Look to the past for insight on how to drive future improvement
Laying the groundwork for a smoother Canadian tax season starts with learning from the past. What challenges did your teams face last year, and had these issues occurred in prior years? For instance, were there bottlenecks in key processes? Did employees report feeling overwhelmed due to understaffing? Was there a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities?
You can use this retrospective analysis to refine workflows and anticipate future needs. You might also consider setting up key performance indicators (KPIs) specific to Canadian tax season to monitor your teams’ progress and identify areas of improvement. An example of a KPI for the accounting team might be the accuracy rate, or the percentage of tax returns submitted without errors or requiring amendments. For your customer support staff, you might track response times to client inquiries.
Creating playbooks for your accounting and administrative and customer support teams to reference during Canada’s tax season can also be a valuable exercise. Document lessons learned, identify best practices for handling common problems and outline mistakes to avoid. Be sure to update these playbooks regularly to reflect relevant changes in company policies or compliance requirements.
5. Focus less on time spent, and more on productivity and quality
It’s tempting to measure your teams’ success during Canadian tax season based on the number of hours they devote to it. However, a better approach is to focus on overall productivity and quality of work. That way, you are encouraging your team to deliver optimal results while also emphasizing the need to pace themselves and prioritize work-life balance.
It helps if you lead by example. For example, avoid sending late-night emails or promoting a company culture of “work until you drop.” To further support work quality over time spent, establish clear priorities and realistic deadlines. Help your employees break down large tasks into manageable chunks and provide regular feedback on their progress to keep them on track.
When it’s clear your accounting and administrative and customer support teams are feeling the pressure, give them space to breathe and recharge. And through small gestures like thank-you notes or surprise coffee breaks, you can celebrate successes and keep spirits high while further reinforcing your commitment to your employees’ well-being.