How One of the World’s Most Prestigious Accounting Firms Makes Everyone Feel Included

Big accounting firms generate hundreds of billions of dollars each year by helping their clients “sweat their assets,” which is basically just a fancy old industry way of saying that they help their clients find ways to organize their money, make more profit and create new efficiencies that allow their businesses to be better at “businessing”. Sounds like a business owner’s best friend if you ask us.  

But what about the firms themselves? How do they help their own companies?

For CohnReznick, one of the world’s most prestigious accounting firms, the answer is simple: by “sweating” their most important assets—their diverse and inclusive workforce.

CohnReznick has been dedicated to a diverse workforce since its inception in 1919—88 years before the first iPhone and 38 years before the first modern calculator. Basically, the company’s diversity and inclusion mission was formed when its accountants were still using abaci to balance books.

Best Environment, Best People

CohnReznick’s belief in diversity and inclusion isn’t just played up for a feel-good PR moment. The company believes that in order to deliver its best work, it needs to deliver the best people, which means delivering the best environment to encourage their personal and professional growth. So no matter your race, gender, creed, country of origin, favorite basketball team, or whether you low key still prefer peanut butter and jelly to avocado toast, CohnReznick will be ready to welcome you with open arms, as it’s done for nearly the past century.

Using Innovation for Problem Solving

Diversity and inclusion is so important to CohnReznick because of their approach to problem solving—CohnReznick prides itself on finding innovative solutions to problems, which requires creativity. And while it’s easy to reduce creativity to a quality possessed only by artists or musicians, CohnReznick believes that creativity comes from how people perceive the world—and according to Scientific American, they were right.

Employee Programs

The company has been successful in fostering that environment because of the various programs and initiatives it has started for employees. More than 12 years ago, the company launched WomenCAN, a Collaborative Advocacy Network for Women that provides employees access to mentors, roundtable discussions with the firm’s partners, and leadership development and professional growth opportunities in a collaborative, encouraging environment.

A Dedication to Helping Women Succeed

The result has been that CohnReznick is routinely identified as one of the industry’s leading organizations for diversity and inclusion. For the third consecutive year, CohnReznick was named Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance and AWSCPA’s Best Public Accounting Firms For Women, by proving its dedication to the advancement of women through programs such as WomenCAN and the Executive Women’s Forum and by creating a progressive, forward-thinking environment.  

Empowering Employees

But what makes CohnReznick a leader in developing a truly diverse, inclusive environment comes from its bottom-up approach to establishing it—the company encourages its employees to take charge. The company is proud of its employees who actively foster inclusion through events and outreach programs of their own accord. That’s why they started an initiative called Pay it Forward, where team members get a little more money in their paychecks one time each year in hopes that they’ll donate the amount. CohnReznick has found its best work is done when it gives its employees the tools to succeed and encourages their drive.

CohnReznick’s dedication to diversity over the past hundred years is just one way it creates an excellent opportunity for recent grads from different backgrounds and experiences. Learn more about CohnReznick, its initiatives and beliefs, then head over to WayUp and apply to join their team! They’re hiring for Tax Associates in multiple locations and for their Summer 2018 Leadership Program.