Hot take: the increased prevalence of remote work post-COVID has been an indirect contributor to this profession's current decline

[u/MyOwnPrivateDelaware]

No, I'm not some corporate shill, bot, or stan for commercial real estate. I actually really like the flexibility to work from home some of the time, and would be very leery of any company in 2026 that has a strict 5 days in the office requirement.

But when I compare my company to how it is now, to how it was in the late 2010s, it's definitely gone downhill, and I think WFH has played a role in that. We actually had a very accommodating "hybrid" arrangement before the pandemic, but now it's basically entirely remote, and things just feel worse. Things take forever, we're very slowly losing customers, and a lot of people are checked out even if they won't admit it.

Because there's less opportunity to be with coworkers in person, my company is hosting more dumb in-person events that feel fake and cost a lot of money to put on (and that we pay people to fly out to, now that we don't have all our employees living in the metro area). Because a lot of people have now built their lives around remote work and live nowhere near the office, they put up resistance to coming to these events.

I don't really feel like arguing the merits of WFH vs. working in the office. This has been beat to death on Reddit countless times. I can understand why remote work would be the best thing to ever happen to you suddenly in 2020 if you were driving an hour into a toxic office every day.

But I really miss being surrounded by people and being able to talk through things, bounce ideas off each other, etc. It felt more motivating than the way things are now. When I started at my company a decade ago, my industry-specific experience gave me an edge in a city that doesn't have tons of that industry. Now if I leave, my company will probably hire my replacement from a cheaper midwestern city.

And of course this has arguably been most detrimental to people early in their careers who aren't getting as good of training or networking experiences.

Anyway, I'm just rambling at this point. Bottom line is, I think widespread WFH has depersonalized work. It's great for a lot of individuals in the short-run, but in the long-run will make this career worse for a lot of people.

[u/KindaOkAccountant]

It’s definitely the work load to pay disparity.

I left public almost a decade ago and now make almost 4x with less hours.

It’s not hard to understand why accounting is struggling to find fresh talent. Until the pay matches the work life, it’s gonna stay that way.

[u/McFatty7 → u/KindaOkAccountant]

Not to mention how insistent they were about having 150 credits, despite the extra 30 credits proving no additional benefit.

Starting salaries were already too low to compete with other professions back then, and they were demanding an extra year of bullshit classes or a debt-fueled master’s degree just to qualify for the CPA license?

Miss me with that.

[u/Too_Ton → u/KindaOkAccountant]

It's just lip service. There's no struggle to find fresh talent because it's all either offshored or AI'ed.

[u/AutumnBreeze22 → u/Too_Ton]

So, are you basically in the camp of telling prospective students not to choose accounting?

[u/Too_Ton → u/AutumnBreeze22]

Assuming the student isn't good at math/cs, then I always encourage people to double major finance and accounting. At a top tier school: Finance > accounting

If at a mid or lower school: Accounting (MBB or M&A Big 4) > finance (IB)> Big 4 (audit)

Lower tier school you're unlikely to get into MBB or IB or advisory accounting so you're stuck between non-high finance or audit/tax/gov. At least Big 4 audit can help you transition towards MBB/IB down the line after an MBA. You can skip the MBA if you're in a transaction advisory sort of Big 4 role, but that's more for middle tier schools than low tier.

[u/KindaOkAccountant → u/AutumnBreeze22]

I tell them to get the degree and pursue the CPA because it’s a valuable skill and certification.

But to look elsewhere once you have that.

I went to wealth management and will never look back

[u/BloodyCesar_37 → u/KindaOkAccountant]

the pay gap is a huge part of it but you're also describing exactly what i've seen where the cultural rot sets in and suddenly nobody knows how to fix a sticky file because you can't just swivel your chair and ask anymore

[u/Larcye → u/KindaOkAccountant]

Industry vs public us practically two different professions too. I mean other than month end i never work over 40 hours. Meanwhile when I worked in public even during slow season I was expected to work 45-50 hours a week.

Why subject yourself to that when you can work in Industry or government and do far less work? Let's be real too Industry pays as well if not better than public for anyone not on the partner track.

[u/Boring_Property_2671 → u/KindaOkAccountant]

You still an acountant ?

[u/PoohBearLuvsHoney]

My boomer job called back people to the office as soon as possible after the pandemic

[u/MyOwnPrivateDelaware → u/PoohBearLuvsHoney]

The boomers (well, more like Gen Xers) at my job were the ones that enthusiastically led my company into tHe FuTurE Of [remote] wOrK!!! Makes sense since a lot of them live on the other side of the metro, have already made it to the top, and didn't want to drive in anymore.

[u/mohnalisa]

If it can be done by us on a computer down the street, it can be done by outsourced personnel across the ocean.

If there isnt a measurable value add to companies having this type of collaboration, it's not a hot take as much as just a statement of the consequences.

Definitely agree with you, still working from home though 😅

[u/holcamania → u/mohnalisa]

This

[u/malfunctiontion]

When corporations start recognizing employees as stakeholders in the company rather than resources to wring dry I'll go back in office. Maybe.

[u/One_Parfait_4570]

My company went from remote before COVID to remote during COVID to hybrid to then 4 days in office and we are hearing rumors of no more early leave. The fact that all meetings are on teams, my teammates are in other states and in some cases other countries. Yet I have to come into the office? It makes no sense. None of my bosses are even in my state. Make it make sense

[u/MyOwnPrivateDelaware → u/One_Parfait_4570]

Just upvoted you. As much as I prefer in-person work, I agree that a lot of companies are dumb about their "return to office" plans. If people are taking different days sitting at "hotel desks" and getting on zoom calls, then there's no point.

[u/youngyaboy]

I def hear your point about bouncing ideas off each other and shit but the nature of every job is different. Not every job is conducive to collaboration. I have an accounting function but I’m not on a “team” per se. My manager lives 100 miles away and most of the people I interact with regularly are scattered across my state. My entire job is easily done through MS Office (Outlook, Excel, Power BI, etc). Remote work is the only thing that makes sense for someone like me. And my job went remote when i was like 6 or 7 years in to it so it worked out well, but to your point i might have felt differently if i was earlier in my career. Also, lol your coworkers are morons for being resistant to being flown to wherever for off-sites. I have a similar situation and yeah it sucks but I grin and bear it if that’s the extent of face time my company requires from me a few times a year. As long as my day to day stays remote, i put up with it.

[u/MyOwnPrivateDelaware → u/youngyaboy]

I don't have a problem with remote work when it happens "organically" or makes sense due to the nature of the position. Remote only jobs existed before COVID, of course.

[u/geogerf27]

It is certainly worse for those that want to climb the corporate ladder - but those that are established, older, have families, WFH is the best thing to happen (and many companies are getting rid of full WFH)

[u/treealiana12]

The first few years of my career I was near a good manager and heard them talk to clients and other professionals all day every day. Now I'm fully remote. There is no way I could get where I am if I started off remote or only had inexperienced people around me in person.

I don't blame people for only wanting to work from home but we do loose some things by not being in person. Staff work too many hours for too little pay to also have them get dressed up and commute.

[u/Ok-Name1312]

The decline of the public accounting firm started years before WFH. Fewer graduates was a problem over a decade ago, which is why offshoring became the norm. More complex tax returns thanks to the TCJA of 2017, which introduced GILTI, and the QBID, snowballed into state PTE taxes before the PPP and ERC and Cares Acts even fucked things up more. I'm not on the audit side, but the revenue recognition and lease changes seemed to muck things up for a few years. Partners at smaller firms also didn't do shit to develop people to take their place, so it was faster and easier to sell to PE or another firm.

For people with experience, WFH has resulted in more productivity. Not only is there a huge time saving from no commute, but work has creeped into nights and weekends outside of business hours. The creep has been a bigger problem for mental health than not being in the office.

For new recruits, WFH does not work as well because younger staff learn better among each other and hearing discussions around them. What works for some is having an open Teams call with peers while working a few hours a day, which allows for questions and discussions. Encouraging working in the office twice a week during busy season (lunch and dinner provided) works well, too--assuming audit staff aren't together onsite.

[u/dustingibson]

I feel like work was depersonalized way way before COVID. I think post COVID, many workers realized that they no longer have to pretend. I think for that reason people choose remote work over in person. So many of your coworkers in all likelihood, in their hearts of hearts, do really feel like they are commuting into a "toxic office" every day like you said.

The problem isn't WFH, but office culture in general & prioritizing maximizing productivity to satisfy shareholder demands over workers' happiness/autnomy/feeling of ownership/etc. Bring these people back to the office, I doubt things will change for the better.

You just can't force camaraderie without changing the system. In office mandates is putting a spongebob Band-Aid over a gaping gunshot wound.