5 ways finance teams can elevate their businesses in 2022

Firms have confronted extraordinary challenges throughout the ongoing COVID-19 public overall health crisis. For several businesses, abruptly going to remote perform in March 2020 compelled CFOs and finance groups to get ground breaking in order to lessen inefficiencies and operate much more strategically in their new on the web environments.

With 2022 eventually underway and no signs of the pandemic coming to a shut, finance groups have to believe even much more strategically about combating the effects this disaster will carry on to have on their corporations in the year in advance.

Right here are 5 techniques CFOs and finance groups are facing people difficulties head on:

1. To tackle issues of burnout and retention, CFOs will emphasis on producing function fewer tiresome and more partaking. Worker burnout increased during the pandemic and organizations go on to grapple with “The Fantastic Resignation.” Lowering manual, time-intense get the job done processes is currently a precedence for CFOs. Deploying resources to automate wearisome processes can enable alleviate burnout and also aid in attracting new talent. CFOs will be centered on investing time in higher-value routines, like predictive evaluation and working with business enterprise stakeholders, whilst also providing much more participating function for workforce.

2. Distant and hybrid get the job done models are right here to stay CFOs will perform an important function in assisting organizations adapt. CFOs and the finance perform enjoy a important job in guiding organization technique and earning operational conclusions throughout the organization. Remote function carries on to have a major affect on fees and income margins. On normal, corporations intend to reduce office environment house by 30{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. In reaction to COVID-19, quite a few finance teams will stay remote or largely distant. With combined thoughts on returning to the office environment, corporations may well also require to deliver alternatives to workers who are remote but in search of co-functioning space or traveling lengthier distances into the business a handful of instances a thirty day period or quarter.

3. Offer chain concerns will continue to drastically effect businesses, necessitating more consideration from the finance section. Most CFOs mentioned their firms are grappling with pandemic-induced troubles in the provide chain. Securing merchandise early ties up dollars, and it is extra crucial to have fantastic credit history. To minimize offer chain hold off, solid profitability and money move are critical.

4. CFOs will maximize use of real-time knowledge to travel company overall performance in the face of the continuing ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, together with provide chain, inflation, taxation and regulation uncertainty. 99{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of CFOs want to function their small business employing serious-time info, but only 16{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} do so. It is vital for finance teams to have details to travel conclusions, and moreover to make it accessible and usable by enterprise unit leaders to drive performance. Info can help choice makers navigate uncertainties with a little more clarity.

5. As corporations return to enterprise travel, an improve in in-human being activities and new vacation policies will require coverage and finances shifts. As vaccination fees climb and COVID scenario stages fall, additional corporations will bring their interior, remote and hybrid groups together for collaboration and in-individual conferences on a normal basis, working with budgets formerly allocated to facilities or perks. Conferences and trade exhibits will most likely return in comprehensive-swing by the next 50 {21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of 2022, and attendees might be needed to clearly show evidence of vaccination or negative check success. Companies will want to update their insurance policies accordingly to include COVID-connected things to consider, for illustration, paying for COVID tests pre- and submit-trip or utilizing a normal tests technique.

14 Ways Remote Teams Can Impact A Company’s Financial (And Overall) Health

Around the world, the pandemic spurred a significant rise in remote work arrangements. Regardless of industry or business model, remote teams can have significant impacts—both positive and negative—on a company’s overall financial health. In some cases, remote teams require a company to buy new technology in order for employees to accomplish their work. On the other hand, many companies are saving significant amounts of money by not maintaining a physical office—and some are even seeing increased productivity.

As more companies are beginning to make the decision on whether to continue with remote work, head back to the office or settle on an arrangement that combines the two, it’s essential for leaders to carefully consider what’s right for their unique situation. Below, 14 members of Forbes Finance Council share ways your remote team may be impacting your company’s finances.

1. Increased Procrastination And Competition For Resources

I faced one of the negative effects of remote work: increased procrastination caused by a lack of communication. Additionally, there was a cost increase caused by remote market globalization—more and more businesses began going remote, so they started hiring employees globally. Before the pandemic, we had to compete for resources locally. Now we have to compete globally. – Peter Shubenok, RNDpoint

2. Potential Communications Breakdowns

A lack of communication can create headaches for remote teams. I have worked remotely since 2005, and I have found that increased communication is critical to meeting deadlines and avoiding misunderstandings. – Paul Davis, Strategic Resource Management


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3. Higher Travel Costs

As we start coming back to work, remote teams will need to begin meeting up with their broader team at a central location every few months. This will mean that employees who rarely traveled, such as product managers and engineers, will be making four to six trips in a year that they didn’t before. Finance teams need to account for enabling these remote employees to spend time together, along with the associated costs. – Robin Gandhi, TripActions Liquid

4. The Need For A Robust Culture 

Working for a remote-first fintech, remote teams are quite literally the lifeblood of our organization. It can be easy to dismiss the concept of culture in remote teams, but when created, supported and pushed to thrive, culture can have a dramatic impact on the financial and overall success of an organization. Happy, engaged employees undisputedly do better work. – Michelle Prohaska, NYMBUS

5. Lower Overhead Costs

Remote work enables companies to remove traditional fixed overhead costs from their financials. Specific expenses, including rent, office supplies, utilities and salaries based on “handcuffed” geographies tied to a central office, can be reduced or eliminated from forward-looking plans. With these savings, management can invest more in R&D or employee learning to drive top-line growth. – John Tytko, Caremerge, Inc.

6. Reduced Need For Physical Expansions

We had considered expanding the physical footprint of our business regionally and nationally before Covid. Then everyone became more comfortable meeting virtually using services such as Zoom. Now, without leaving our office, we’re meeting with clients nationwide. So we’ve expanded our business not through remote teams as much as a remote business model—working with clients in other cities virtually. – Bill Keen, Keen Wealth Advisors

7. More Time Saved For Working And Expense Savings For Employees

Remote workers don’t need to spend money on commuting, eating out, dry cleaning, pet care and so on. On average, Americans spend almost one hour per day in total commute time. If employees capture 100{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} of their “no-need-to-commute” expense savings but allocate 30 minutes more per day to working—splitting the time savings differential with their employer—they win, and their employers win. – Sean Brown, YCharts

8. Boosted Productivity

A hybrid model with some team members working remotely seems ideal. Less office space and resources are required, and studies have shown that working from home has boosted productivity in many ways. This is also a keen “perk” or benefit in today’s competitive recruiting landscape. Many would even take slightly less pay to be able to work from home. – Leslie Heimer, American Liberty Mortgage | Stockworth

9. Savings On Health Benefits

Offering benefits to a remote team, often scattered across the country, presents its share of unique financial challenges—but also potential savings opportunities. Extra vigilance is required when selecting and structuring benefit offerings. A high-deductible health plan paired with an employer-sponsored health savings account program can realize short- and long-term financial benefits for both the company and its employees. – Tom Torre, Bend Financial

10. Compromised Company Security

When employees are too relaxed about security compliance, it can put your entire company at risk for cyberthreats. To mitigate risk, invest in implementing automated phishing simulations and training videos and set up two-factor authentication. Educating remote teams on cybersecurity is crucial for keeping your company secure from costly threats. – Jody Grunden, Summit CPA Group

11. Access To Global Talent Pool

Remote teams empower companies to access the global talent pool at a fraction of the cost, which in turn drastically reduces recruitment costs—thereby directly impacting the bottom line of organizations that rely heavily on the brainpower of their workforce. – Anil Grandhi, AG FinTax

12. More Focus On Teamwork, Communication And Goals

Remote teams can get the business to focus on teamwork, communication and goals. There are software tools to help you monitor all areas of your business and track the output of employees. This higher level of business monitoring can help focus teams on profitability and customer-centric actions. Trusted employees may be more productive remotely with the time added to the workday and measured output. – Dave Sackett, Visibility Corporation

13. Lower Tax Liability

Among the positive financial aspects of remote teams are the cost savings that come from reduced office spaces and insurance. But other savings include not dishing out huge local payroll taxes in cities such as San Francisco and New York. Utilizing remote teams can also lead to savings for the employees, including the elimination of commuting expenses—plus, they’re not losing any time commuting, which adds to the company’s benefit. – Kurt Kunselman, AccountingSuite™

14. Better Client Engagement

Unlike the days when client meetings meant costly travel and time away for commuting, remote teams can reach clients more frequently for video or call check-ins. Technology such as Zoom meetings also allows you to keep more members of your team engaged. – Sonya Thadhani Mughal, Bailard, Inc.