Shocker: CA firm lays off staff immediately after the 2009 UFE
My dear readers have reported experiencing something horrible: layoffs immediately after the UFE!
Although it's one thing to decide, "we have too many young staff, let's tell some of them not to come into the office on Monday", saying, "well, let's get it over with quickly and call them to the office immedately after they have finished their 13 hour exam."
Seriously - calling someone in on a Thursday afternoon to tell them they're being let go? Is that someone's idea of a sick joke?
It's marginally better than doing it before the exam itself - that's a cardinal sin which I decry even more loudly, since it throws people off their game for preparing for the exam - but you would think that firms would realize that, "hey, we're doing campus recruiting right now."
What does that mean?
It means that students across Canada and in other parts of the world are currently applying to work for accounting firms. If students find out that you have an itchy trigger finger when it comes to firing people, and they're deciding between working for you and your competitor, where do you think they're going to end up working?
If all the best candidates run for the hills instead of choosing you, will that not perhaps harm you over time as you're unable to grow the strongest talent in-house?
I'm baffled, mystified and angry about this - not necessarily in that order.
Americans, I find are typically in a funny position and advice for them
is different since they don't necessarily write their CPA exam
immediately, but keeping in mind the US-centric nature of the advice
here, this article is also worth reading for additional tips on what to do.
From what I've heard the money situation is tight, but not as bad as what Francine comments on - but make sure you read her words carefully.
Don't let your firm take back any money they gave you for passed exams
or study materials or days off. Tell them you'll file a claim with your (province or)
state's Labor Department: Wage and Hour Compliance Enforcement. If you
were let go for anything other than "cause" (which means you seriously
breached policies or did something illegal,) you deserve every penny
you have already been paid or promised even if cut for "performance."
There's a tradition in many firms to go out and celebrate the night after the exam is complete - simply for 'surviving.' How perverse to not actually allow people to 'survive.'
More than one office was affected and people are no doubt mulling their severance options and contemplating contacting employment laywers as I write this so out of respect for these peoples' difficult situation I won't be naming names, but you can always write to me if you're suffering for advice and other guidance. Click the contact link above or just e-mail my gmail account. You'll find my address is acsblog. Or if you have comments, you can always leave them here too.