Tax department retreats: an underutilized resource of the tax practice.

• Author: Bell, Kuno S.

After April 15, practitioners tend to relax for a brief time and reflect on what went right and wrong with their film's busy season. One way to go through this evaluation process is by holding a tax department retreat somewhere away from the office. The benefits of a retreat can be significant and, at a minimum, include the following. 1. This is a way to show appreciation to the staff for making the effort, and putting in the hours, required during the busy season and doing a good job. A day away at a hotel with breakfast and lunch and a relaxed atmosphere tends to smooth out the rough edges of the April 15 deadline. 2. Since busy season is stiff fresh in everyone's mind, it is easier to recall the good and bad features of this period and, in turn, build on the things that went well and change those that did not. In addition to the obvious benefit of implementing the changes in upcoming tax seasons, an immediate benefit can be reaped by applying any changes to returns on extension. The result will be either increased profits or, to a lesser extent, reduced losses on work already in the office. 3. Spending an entire day in discussion provides better results than spreading the discussion out over several smaller meetings. People will often have great ideas at a meeting but be unable to discuss them because of time constraints. The idea is then filed away for a future meeting; the odds are that by then the idea will have been forgotten. A retreat not only results in more ideas being put forth, it also promotes a fuller discussion of these ideas. By removing the time constraints, the participants can address all the angles in depth. What starts out as a minor idea can be "tossed around" and developed into a significant change or improvement. By spending an entire day together, people who are usually unwilling to express their ideas may be prompted to participate. A few minutes of awkward silence during a long meeting should motivate even the most unwilling...