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Embracing self-care and learning how to handle clients who are feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders will be vital as the profession moves into a post-pandemic landscape.
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Accountants Daily Strategy Week Day 2 wrap-up: Prioritising mental health and self-care
09 September 2020
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Day 2 of the Accountants Daily Strategy Week saw Tax Institute senior advocate Robyn Jacobson lead a roundup of timely tax issues, including the finer points of the JobKeeper extension, the end of the superannuation guarantee amnesty, and how comprehensive tax reform can support the road to economic recovery.
On the eve of R U OK? Day, the theme of virtual conference moved towards the importance of self-care and strengthening the profession’s mental fitness to deal with an increasingly anxious environment brought on by COVID-19.
Suzy Jacobs, chief trainer of the Activator Academy, shared important stress management techniques and provided a different perspective on how practitioners can work on what they can control.
“Feelings have a lifespan of just 90 seconds from the start to the finish and you can interrupt it, divert it, rewire it,” Ms Jacobs said.
“You can interrupt the stress process at the source.”
Likewise, Institute of Public Accountants chief executive Andrew Conway spoke on the importance of preparing and supporting the profession to deal with difficult client conversations when they exhibit mental health issues.
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“As a profession, we really haven’t done enough to prepare our professionals for the conversations they have in practice and we need to provide better training and better support,” Mr Conway said.
“You don’t get taught what to do when a client is sitting opposite you crumbling.”
Rounding up Day 2 and providing a perspective on the future, Paul Glossop, chief executive of finance specialist Finni, joined accountant Alexander Laureti of LMS Advisory to discuss the Future of Accounting 2020 White Paper and unpack the opportunities for accountants in an increasingly digital world.
“The accountant’s opportunity is to use the tools that have been given to them, which is cloud computing, for example, to be able to interpret that information and to become what I like to call a financial storyteller — to explain what they are seeing, to explain what these financials mean to them and what it allows them to do in the future,” Mr Laureti said.
“The explanations of what has happened and knowing how that information will affect the client — that emotional intelligence is so important and that is where the accountant will see the opportunity in the future to continue to maintain relevance.”
The third and final day of the Accountant Daily Strategy Week will see keynote sessions from the Inspector-General of Taxation, Karen Payne, and the Australian Banking Association’s Justin Mining.
Quick word from our Accountants Daily Strategy Week partners
The ATOmate team are ready and waiting in our virtual booth to show you how ATOmate, the ultimate ATO document automation solution, will help you improve productivity, staff retention and client engagement. Don’t delay, come see us now!
ADP is pleased to be a Diamond sponsor at this year’s Accountants Daily Strategy Week. Pop by our virtual booth to chat with our team.
Day 2 of the virtual conference also saw Alan Granville of Alans Accounting Services take out the daily $500 cash prize.
The virtual Accountants Daily Strategy Week 2020 continues on 10 September.
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