Activities to ease busy season stress

Does your firm have fun during busy season? If not, consider scheduling activities that build community, bring levity to the office, and help keep staff stay motivated through the busiest time of the year.

SKC & Co. CPAs, for example, sends staff gift certificates or brings in meals from various restaurants during busy season. Another popular seasonal perk at the firm, which has offices in California and New Jersey, is a weekly family-style meal, where a private chef or firm partners take their turn cooking.

“We try our hardest to keep everyone connected,” said Sarah Krom, CPA, MST, managing partner at SKC & Co.

Busy season activities can be special events or extensions of popular seasonal employee perks. Free food, massages, mental health therapists, or office contests are possibilities. And don’t forget employees working remotely.

If you’re in need of inspiration, the AICPA Private Companies Practice Section has rolled out its 2025 busy season fun calendar with creative ideas for firms. Among the celebratory days flying under the radar: Sweatpants Day, World Nutella Day, Chili Cook-Off Day, and Mom and Pop Business Owners Day to celebrate small clients.    

INVEST IN PEOPLE

It takes time and energy to plan employee appreciation events, but offering staff perks is a critical way SKC & Co., shows it cares about its 25 employees, Krom said. The firm, which made “People First” the theme of 2024 and 2025, intentionally fosters a tight-knit office culture. As a result, retention is high. 

“You don’t leave bad jobs, you leave bad managers, and you leave places where you don’t feel a part of things,” she said.

The firm has regular staff events and outings throughout the year, as well as a masseuse who comes in twice a month. The firm also began bringing in a trained mental health therapist in fall 2024 to hold private sessions with staff members who had booked sessions. It was such a success that the firm plans on continuing that practice through busy season.  

FEED PEOPLE WELL

Another way to show appreciation is to feed your people. After all, the last thing someone wants to do is heat up an uninspiring frozen meal or leftovers for dinner.

Also, people get tired of take-out food and having a catered meal is a way to bring together staff while also giving them a nice break to relax and socialize before jumping back into work, Krom said. For its handful of remote employees, the New Jersey-based firm sends them gift certificates or food vouchers.

At Grossman Yanak & Ford LLC in Pittsburgh, an operations staffer orders dinner every evening from a different restaurant, saving the CPAs working on returns the hassle and mental load of figuring out where to eat and coordinating deliveries, said Colleen Febbraro, CPA, the firm’s human resources director.

“The time savings for our folks is to just have someone that takes care of it,” she said.

Themes include Taco Tuesdays, Pie Day (pizza and dessert pies), a Super Bowl potluck, and a pancake breakfast where directors and managers from the operations team flip pancakes in the morning. The office kitchen areas are also always stocked with healthy (and sometimes not-so-healthy) snacks.

SPREAD OUT THE FUN

Busy season is more a marathon than a sprint, and Krom is intentional about making sure her firm spaces out the ways it shows appreciation for staff.

While some firms choose to kick off the year with a big gift basket, SKC & Co. has taken the approach to show appreciation throughout the year. Before the Oct. 15 tax deadlines, for example, the firm sent all employees a fall basket with a cozy blanket and fall-scented candles.

Monthly gifts during busy season include hot soup delivery or self-care baskets — thoughtful things to make staff feel appreciated.

Grossman Yanak & Ford also spreads events throughout the year. Doing so acknowledges those working in audit divisions or enterprise resource planning (ERP), who have their own stressful stretches of time.

“There are going to be peaks and valleys for every service group,” Febbraro said.

The firm invites all staff to every event and sends vouchers or gift certificates to the handful of fully remote staffers the firm employs. In addition, Grossman Yanak & Ford holds a firmwide outing in May after the April 15 tax deadline to bring everyone together and celebrate. Past events have included trips to an events place with golf simulators and other multisport games, wine tastings, and dinner at an upscale restaurant.

The firm also ensures that in-office fun events, like cereal bars with its multitude of flavors, are offered on at least two days and on the weekend to ensure that those who are traveling for work part of the week or working at home part of the time under the firm’s hybrid work policy can take part.  

GAMES AND CONTESTS

There’s more to appreciation than just food, of course. One of the most popular busy season activities at Grossman Yanak & Ford is a contest to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. The firm makes sure to post photos in the firm’s messaging system as well, so that remote workers can participate.

SKC & Co. holds a staff meeting every Monday during busy season where partners shout out staff members who went above and beyond expectations. Those that receive kudos also get to spin a wheel for prizes like Starbucks gift cards, $50 in cash, and free lunches. The firm also schedules games like virtual escape rooms to keep things light among the heavy workloads.

MAKE PEOPLE’S LIVES EASIER

Not every perk a firm offers must fall into the category of fun, Krom said. Her firm once brought a mobile car wash and oil change company to the office to service people’s vehicles.

It ended up being one of the most popular things they’ve done, because it took a chore off people’s plates. The firm unfortunately had to stop doing that due to landlord rules but emphasized to Krom the need to make people’s lives easier. The firm also set up a system to have people drop off and pick up drycleaning at the office.

It’s also important to take people’s safety into account, Febbraro said. Grossman Yanak & Ford’s office is in downtown Pittsburgh, and the firm makes it a policy that no one is ever left alone in the building when working late during busy season.

“Our partners are typically the last to leave the office,” Febbraro said. “They will be the one to make sure that person safely gets to their car.”

The point is to make sure people are valued, she said, and accounting firm leaders can incorporate thoughtfulness as well as fun into long workdays.

Take time to talk to your staff for feedback on what did and didn’t work in years past as well as to gain input on new activities and perks.

“Always talk to your people,” Krom said. “Have them share what would make tax seasons best for them.”

Sarah Ovaska is a freelance writer based in North Carolina. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Jeff Drew at Jeff.Drew@aicpa-cima.com.

AICPA & CIMA MEMBER RESOURCES

Articles

“Navigating 2025 Tax Season Challenges,” AICPA & CIMA, Oct. 1, 2024

“Taxed at Work? 4 Keys to Staying Healthy, Happy, and Productive,” JofA, July 8, 2024

“Firms Find It’s Cool to Be Kind,” JofA, March 1, 2024

Podcast episodes

“How One Small Firm Drastically Cut Its Busy-Season Hours,” JofA, Aug. 3, 2023

“How to Make Busy Season Fun (Yes, Fun),” JofA, Nov. 29, 2022

Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS)

PCPS membership

The Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) is an add-on firm membership section within the AICPA that supports CPA firms of all sizes in the everyday intricacies of running a practice by providing practical and customizable practice management resources. For more information, click on the PCPS membership headline above.

PCPS 2025 Busy Season Fun Calendar and Inspiration List

The three-month march to Tax Day doesn’t have to be all work and no play at accounting firms. The 2025 PCPS Busy Season Fun Calendar and accompanying Inspiration List, available to PCPS members, feature dozens of activities that can help team members relax and reflect, recharge and refuel. PCPS members can access these resources via the headline above.