Windham Brannon: Embracing the Future of the Workplace

“As with all change, there are lessons to be learned. The most important of all is to not be satisfied with status quo,” says Kim Hensarling, Director of Talent & HR at Windham Brannon.

Employee benefits, company culture and a new way of work. The potential risk of not evolving solutions is just one of the reasons more and more employers are implementing hybrid work programs. And on top of that, company culture is evolving – evolving to enhance ties and engagement between leadership, employees, and the firm’s strategy for growth.

This is what Windham Brannon is looking to embody: a work environment that not only benefits the business but serves the needs of the employees to achieve greater success.

Windham Brannon is a recognized CPA firm, providing audit, tax, and advisory services for businesses and high-net worth individuals. Headquartered in Buckhead with over 170 employees, Windham Brannon has always sought to have a collaborative and uplifting work environment, investing in the success of their employees. This investment has included a strong offering of benefits, such as educational resources, discounted transit passes, pre-tax benefits, and a remote work program. Before the pandemic, about 20% of their workforce was allowed to work remote in some capacity albeit with guidelines and approvals.

And now, a year+ after kicking off a smooth transition to a fully remote staff, more than 95% of employees are still working from home. Windham Brannon took advantage of this opportunity and expanded their communication both inside and outside the firm, utilizing Microsoft Teams and other technology to create a successful virtual environment. However, with a strong collaborative culture in place before, they knew they were missing a core piece of their operations. The company is now planning to launch a hybrid work model. While a few essential employees will be going into the office on a regular basis, leadership will be allowing each department to choose the days they go in based on engagement and team needs.”We realized the efficiencies that could be achieved remotely but wanted an opportunity to renew our social connections, physical interaction, collaboration and connectivity which are all very important to maintain a strong culture,” said Kim.

This pandemic has allowed for Windham Brannon to revisit old processes and programs and reshape them, leading to a more flexible environment. As part of this, leadership has adjusted some of their employee benefits. Prior to the pandemic, employees paid for their own parking through pre-tax benefits. But with the ability to go in once or twice a week, paying for monthly parking or high daily rates was a major deterrent for employees to come back in. With this challenge at hand, the company decided to begin paying for employee parking, an unanticipated cost, and searching for new options that will better fit their hybrid work environment, such as flexible parking solutions. The company also provided each employee with a $1,000 stipend to help set up their home offices or to use for wellness activities. Other employee concerns that they addressed during the pandemic included the addition of a reward and recognition app, pet insurance, mental health benefits, and wellness workshops. This type of innovation is critical to the company’s overall success.

As Windham Brannon starts this new chapter, they plan to maintain a major emphasis on flexibility in order to keep employees engaged and motivated to continue their careers at the company. Over the last year, Windham Brannon has won three top workplaces awards from surveys that are all completed by their employees. Leadership’s priority moving forward is to continue listening to their employees – their #1 resource – and be proactive about implementing innovative solutions to reach their highest potential.

Fun Fact: Each employee who works from home three days a week has the potential to save over $2,000 in commuting costs and over 5,000 vehicle miles per year! (Based on the 18-mile average metro Atlanta one-way commute.)

About Kim Hensarling:

With more than 14 years professional experience in the field of human resources, Kim currently serves as Windham Brannon’s Director of Talent and Human Resources. She provides professional human resources leadership in the areas of recruitment, transfers/promotions, and employee career counseling. She also interprets and enforces firm policies and procedures, and ensures compliance at all times with regulations governing the employer employee-relationship.

About Windham Brannon:

Windham Brannon is a recognized leader in providing audit, tax and advisory services for businesses and high net-worth individuals. While Windham Brannon’s technical expertise is second to none, the Atlanta-based CPA firm offers its clients much more. Since 1957 the accounting services firm has demonstrated its proven ability to adapt to change, learn from the past and keep its eyes on the future.