[B4 Tax Slave]

Has anyone here successfully negotiated a work from home arrangement while at B4? I’m a tax senior and a working mother. I live over an hour away from the office (on a good day! Thanks, traffic) and I find that working remotely helps significantly with managing stress and meeting deadlines. My husband’s schedule is such that I need to be available for daycare pickup/dropoff most days. I often arrive at the office around 9:30 and leave by 4:30 to pick up my toddler before daycare closes. I’m always online again in the evenings to wrap up tasks.

I asked my manager about working remotely a few days/week. The firm allows for flexibility, and my request was within the bounds of our policies. I was told we’d need the partner’s OK and I havent heard more since (this was almost 2 months ago).

I’ve been searching for remote jobs to no avail. Certainly, having a CPA will help, but I’m just not there yet.

Has anyone successfully transitioned to a fully remote role within B4? Am I just out of luck until I find something outside of public?

[maxb]

Are u at least a middle of the road performer? If your a high performer, they’ll do it without thinking. If your a low performer, it’ll be tougher and probably not in the cards.

[DM]

There are 2 ways to do this; 1) off the record or 2) on the record. Off the record – it depends on your engagement team. Some directors and partners are okay with this, but I have only seen this done for experienced staff/seniors for long commutes and family, so IMO you fall into this exception. On the record – you can file a FWA, or flexible work arrangement with HR. This goes into your employee file and is considered in all budgeting and staffing engagements. No1 can hold the FWA against you when you need to flex time, it just has to be on record.

[B4 Tax Slave]

@Maxb – I'm probably average. I get bonuses/good reviews, but I'm not a rockstar.

@DM – Agreed, I'd fall into both of those categories. It sounds like a FWA is the better option, in terms of job protection.

[Son]

Up to 2 days a week, possibly. 5 days a week – haven't seen a single person below Sr Manager/Director level pull it off, and even then it was a choice between losing the person and allowing this schedule.

Have you considered a flex schedule? I.e., you work 80% of the hours and get 80% of the pay. That will allow for much more flexibility.

Keep in mind either the remote or part-time arrangement pretty much guarantees no promotions and no decent raises going forward.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[livealittle]

we have a remote work option/policy at our office and have 2 employees who are remote all the time. I'm currently working from home due to vehicle issues. We have others – at all levels except intern – who work remotely when needed due to personal conflicts. Home repairs and sick kids are the #1 items

This is firm wide so it's not been just for 1 or 2 employees, it's a firm wide policy.

BEC - 8/8/16
REG - 66, 77
AUD - 81
FAR - 9/8/16

[vbmer]

In many Big 4 Advisory practices, working from home is the norm, and some people only show up to the office a few days a year… Of course, out of town travel is also much more frequent in Advisory than Tax.

I second the FWA recommendation, and/or trying to split pickup/drop-off duties with your husband.

AUD - 79
BEC - 88
FAR - 89
REG - 80

Manager, Big 4 Corporate Finance, CPA (WA)

[Author]

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