, , , , ,

Mental Health advice for accountants in Pandemic situation

October 28, 2020 - by Priyan Sharma

Stress is real in the accounting industry

The amount of absolute pressure, along with the exhaustive physical work, is weighing down on a plethora of accountants. For any of us, the past ten months haven’t been easy or that great, and there is nothing surprising to know that accounts are not left out either.

During the ongoing pandemic, the responsibilities of accountants have been increased instead as they have been delegated various responsibilities, including forensic and advisory accounting. The level of emotional stress for accountants has increased drastically as the heartbreaks have been quite real for the past few months.

We have covered several mental health advice for accountants in this pandemic mainly because several accountants have witnessed their clients collapse in their business suffering. Moreover, the government’s covid19 scheme announced over the past 8 to 10 months has proved to help businesses grow and has made accountants saviours, but saviours have to compromise at times.

A few tips for accountants to help them deal with the tough times and come out on top are:

  • Don’t take stress, but rest – Working from home and adjusting to the new normal has been challenging for almost all of us. Accountants have been caught up in the middle with the rapidly changing government schemes and building continuity plans. The last few months have been pretty stressful for these experts as their duties ethically bound them to the clients. Accountants are mainly becoming over-stressed because there is all work and no play at all. It’s high time accountants understand this and take their mental health seriously by altering their routine which includes 8 to 9 hours of proper sleep, mental exercises including meditation, and the right diet plan. They also need to take a day off once a week and avoid overburdening themselves with the client’s expectations.

  • Communicate transparently – Amid the new normal, video conferencing has become the new way of communication, which is both a boon and a curse as it often creates misunderstandings between teams, which undoubtedly enhances stress levels. Just because of communication gaps, a lot of rework needs to be done, and then it leads to failure in the on-time delivery of tasks, which again adds to stress. Thus remote work culture is here to stay, so it is better if accounting firms and accountants set some communication guidelines.

  • Be social – Not everyone likes to be working in isolation, so physical interaction is a must to deal with work frustration. The study table and bed have replaced the regular commute to work and the entire day just passes by without any social interactions. Humans have thrived and lived as social animals for ages now, so it is challenging for people to work in solitude. Thus social distancing doesn’t mean you distance yourself from the community as all you need to do is adhere to the social distancing measures. So get set and spend some quality time with the people you love the most.

  • Choose technology that meets your requirements in the best possible ways – Undoubtedly, technology has played an enormous role in our lives during the pandemic, and it still plays a significant role in the ever-changing accounting profession. Accountants need to choose a technology platform that will be suitable for both tech-savvy and non-tech-savvy users.

  • Firm leadership should give importance to mental health – As the tough times are prevailing, employers are looking for ways to reduce their losses now. Irrespective of the situation, employers have to provide well-being support in challenging times.

Thus, the accountant’s mental health has been put to the toll by the dynamic accounting industry as accounting professionals are known to stand on the front line for the defence against the covid19 pandemic. Before all, it is essential for accountants to prioritize their mental health above everything else.