Tax Season Memo from Staff to Managing Partner

Congratulations if your staff wrote such an email to you. (But what if they wanted to and didn’t?)

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Dear [Managing Partner’s Name],

As we start thinking about the next tax season, I am reaching out with a request that reflects the sentiment of many of us in the firm. I know tax season is crucial, and we all understand its importance. However, after all these years, we’re in a never-ending marathon. The long hours, the constant pressure—it’s draining. What if we could flip the script this year and make the next tax season, dare I say, a little less soul-crushing?

I have a few ideas—some might seem unconventional, but we must get creative to avoid the same burnout cycles. Hear me out, in no particular order:

A “4-Day Tax Work Week” (Yes, even during the tax season).

That doesn’t make much sense, but how about a rotating four-day workweek during tax season? Studies show that compressed schedules can boost productivity. We can rotate teams so the clients are always covered, but everyone gets a break. Imagine having one more whole day each week to recharge and come back fresh—it could be the thing that keeps us from burning out completely by April.

Raise Fees

We must raise our fees. Period. The complexity of tax laws and the ever-evolving tax software solutions place heavy demands on our “specialist tax-trained brains.” We wouldn’t be in business if just putting data in the right places in the software could produce tax returns that optimize tax for our clients. Clients would simply self-prepare. They come to us for our expertise, not because we subscribe to software. Let our fees reward the expertise we apply to our client situations, and in turn, let us all earn more – we deserve it.

“Quiet Hours” to Fight the Chaos 

How about enforced “quiet hours” every day, with no meetings, interruptions, or emails—just pure, concentrated, deep-focus, deep-work time? Maybe this is the golden opportunity to work on the hard stuff without interruptions.

A “Tax Season Concierge Service”

Now, this is a stretch, but what if the firm helped out the employees a little bit during the busy season on a personal level? A concierge service could handle small personal tasks—grocery deliveries, meal prepping, laundry—giving us back some time and mental space. It’s a luxury that can make a huge difference when buried in client files and deadlines.

“Micro-Rewards” for Milestones (Not just at the end)

We focus so much on the deadline dates that we forget to celebrate the small wins. How about creating micro-rewards for hitting weekly goals? Maybe something cool like catered lunches, Uber Eats credits, or “whoever’s team gets finished first gets to leave early.” These small, immediate rewards could make the grind feel less like a grind.

In-House Naps, Yes—naps!

Let’s face it: power naps work. If we are working at the office, why not have a designated quiet room or nap pods? I know it sounds radical. A 20-minute nap could be the key to surviving those long tax-season days. Plus, a rested team is a productive team. Let’s make it okay to recharge instead of glorifying exhaustion.

Turn Tax Season Into a “Team Olympics”

Why not add a little competition into the mix? We could create team challenges with fun rewards like the fastest turnaround on a client file (with quality!), the most effective use of automation utilities, or the most innovative (compliant) approach to a client problem. Let’s make it a game so everyone is upbeat and has a little bit of fun in the tediousness, and people will stay involved.

“No Work After 9 p.m.” Challenge

This might be the wildest idea—what if we make a pact that no one works past 9 p.m.? Tax season or not, something is definitely wrong with working so late every day. By forcing ourselves to cut off at a reasonable hour, we will find ways to work smarter, prioritize better, and lean more into tech solutions. Plus, we’d all get to sleep.

Client-Facing Communication on Staff Well-Being

Here’s a bold move: what if we openly communicated to our clients that we are instituting changes for staff well-being in the upcoming tax season? It would show them that we care about sustainability and employee health, and we could frame it as a way to deliver better, more focused service to them. It could even earn us some brownie points for innovation!

Why?

These are kind of out-there ideas, but they would make the whole tax season a different experience for us all. Happy, energized employees translate into sharper, better work—and ultimately, better client satisfaction. By showing that we prioritize balance even during the most intense periods, we could strengthen our firm’s reputation as a place genuinely caring about its people.

I’d like to expand on some of these thoughts and consider what we can do to make the next tax season better for everyone.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best, 

– From the souls of each of your staff