Why Good Employees Are Harder to Keep (And What You Can Do About It)

Accounting firms are feeling the pressure of a fast-changing talent landscape. While finding the right people has always been a challenge, keeping them has become even harder. It’s not just about offering a competitive salary anymore; today’s top accounting professionals are motivated by a completely different set of values. If firms don’t adapt, they risk losing their best people to competitors, international firms, or even burnout.

Here’s why it’s getting harder to retain top talent in the accounting industry, and what firms can do to keep them engaged, motivated, and committed.

1. Flexibility is No Longer a Perk, It’s Expected: Gone are the days when working from home was a benefit. Hybrid and fully remote models have become standard, and employees expect their firm to trust them to manage their time effectively.

Build flexibility into your operations, whether it’s hybrid schedules, remote options, or flexible hours. But don’t stop there. Actively promote a culture of trust, measure performance by output instead of hours, and make flexibility a core part of your EVP (employee value proposition).

2. Global Work Opportunities Are Just a Click Away: High performers aren’t just being poached by local competitors; they’re being recruited by global firms offering remote contracts and attractive foreign income. South African accountants are more mobile than ever before.

Create a Stronger Value Proposition at Home. Firms can’t always match international salaries, but they can compete with culture, work-life balance, mentorship, career progression, and purpose. Make your firm a place where employees want to stay, not just a stepping stone.

3. Burnout Is a Real Retention Killer: The industry’s pace can be brutal, especially during tax season. Long hours, high pressure, and outdated processes lead to stress and burnout, which remain major reasons employees leave.

Use tech to automate repetitive tasks and lighten workloads. Monitor staff well-being, rotate demanding workloads, and normalise taking time off. Introduce mental health support and promote open conversations about workload management.

4. Old Systems Turn Off Young Talent: New-generation accountants are tech-savvy and expect their work environment to reflect that. Legacy software and manual processes are not only frustrating, they’re a dealbreaker.

Invest in modern accounting and practice management tools that improve efficiency and visibility. Involve your team in choosing software, they’ll be more likely to engage with systems they helped select. Provide regular training to help them get the most out of the tools you offer.

5. Career Growth Still Lacks Structure at Many Firms: Many high performers leave not because they’re unhappy, but because they don’t see a clear path forward. If your firm isn’t talking about progression, someone else will.

Map out progression routes within your firm, from junior to partner level, and communicate them clearly. Have regular development conversations, not just annual reviews. Offer training, mentorship, and the chance to lead projects.

6. Culture and Purpose Now Matter More Than Ever: Accountants want more than billable hours; they want to feel part of something meaningful. A rigid, numbers-first environment without room for personal connection or purpose will struggle to retain top people.

Embed values like integrity, inclusion, and continuous learning into your daily work, not just your company brochure. Celebrate team wins, involve employees in decisions, and give them a voice in shaping the firm's future. Show them how their work contributes to something bigger.

Retention isn’t about one big initiative, it’s about making continuous, thoughtful changes to how your firm works and supports its people. Accounting professionals today are ambitious, connected, and deeply aware of their worth. Firms that take care of their talent and adapt to their evolving needs will be the ones that stay ahead, while the rest keep hiring for the same positions over and over again.