TTPP75: How to Avoid Working Unnecessary Long Hours as a Tax Professional

I’m on the morning train, heading into the office, and as I often do, I’m catching up on tax news.

I come across one article that I strongly disagree with. It suggests that you have to accept working long hours if you want to work in tax.

This is the mindset that results in people having a worse work-life balance than they want.

There are already not enough people working in tax.

People perceive it as boring.

Why would someone want to work in a boring area and work long hours?

Throughout my whole career, I’ve rarely worked long hours, completely out of choice. And, it hasn’t negatively affected my progression.

My values around work have always been to work hard, produce work of high quality, and be efficient/productive. Work is part of my life and not the only part of it.

Yes, there are times when I work over my core hours – in fact I regularly work one or two hours over a week. Completely out of my own choice though, and not out of necessity. Usually, I will choose to work over because I like what I’m doing, I’m learning something new, or it’s helping me get better at something.

And yes, there have also been times where I’ve worked more hours that I wanted to because I felt it was necessary and I wanted to do a good job, not because I wanted to work the long hours.  But that has honestly probably been no more than 5 times, and I’ve now worked in tax for almost 8 years, currently as a senior manager.

Anyway, on this morning, I get off the train, start walking to the office, still thinking about this article, and I knew I was going to have to cover the topic on a podcast. Here is that episode!

I share my advice, in terms of how I avoid working unnecessary long hours, so that you can do the same, and get the work-life balance that you want.

Just to be clear, this episode is not about how to never work long hours, or how to only work your core hours. It’s about you working no more hours than you want to, except in some rare, unavoidable cases.

Listen to hear my advice!

You’ll Learn

• 8 tips to avoid working unnecessary long hours, and get the work-life balance you want, as a tax professional

• Tip 1: Be upfront and honest about whether a deadline is achievable

• (10:15) Tip 2: Make your boundaries clear to your colleagues

• (14:15) Tip 3: Purge all pointless, non-essential, and non-important tasks

• (21:15) Tip 4: Schedule time for the important tasks – particularly the non-essential

• (24:45) Tip 5: Think long term and short term

• (30:15) Tip 6: Aim to be productive and effective when doing work

• (35:00) Tip 7: Delegation to and support from colleagues

• (37:45) Tip 8: Look for an employer where the hours you want to work are possible

Resources and related episodes

Masterclasses for tax people – Tax Research Masterclass and Tax Advice Masterclass

TTPP 4: How to be a Better Delegator to Progress your Career with Mike Clayton

TTPP34: Successfully Delegate Tax Work, Particularly to Less-Experienced & Junior Staff

7 Habits of Highly Effective People – book

The One Thing – book

Benchmark Your Salary or Discuss Available Roles

with James at The Tax Recruitment Company.

Find out what you’re worth and if you’re paid the right amount.

Mobile: 07768 252 252
Email: j.howell@taxrecruitmentcompany.co.uk
Book a Zoom meeting: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/salarychat

P.S Corporation Tax roles are in large supply, and James is currently recruiting for many of these