5 ways to foster an award-winning culture at your accounting firm

For Karbon to be recognized as one of the 2025 Fortune Best Small Workplaces is a fantastic achievement for every single Karbonite. 

It’s so exciting to be acknowledged on a global stage, and to be able to share that with the world. And it truly is a team achievement—it took every single one of us.

This recognition wasn’t by chance.

When I joined Karbon as the first HR hire, it was amazing to see that the culture had been created quite organically. But organic culture doesn’t scale. As we’ve grown, we’ve been intentional about consolidating our values, and developing our team around them.

It’s not about just maintaining our culture. It’s about continuously elevating it. We can never be in ‘maintenance mode’; we’re always thinking about ways to improve it. 

In my four years at Karbon, this is what I’ve learned about building an award-winning culture.

First: What makes a great place to work?

Sometimes, people describe their culture as magic. It sounds like a rabbit out of the hat, like “we don’t know how it happened.” But the difference between a good and great place to work is being truly intentional.

That starts with having the right values that act as your North Star. 

At Karbon, our values are:

• Champion connectivity and embrace openness

• Elevate our customers with excellence in everything we do

• Create extraordinary outcomes with insight and determination

• Be good to each other and act with authenticity

• Make it happen with a passion for action

These, alongside an annual theme that we rally behind, create a shared purpose and sense of ownership.

You can measure this impact with what I call ‘anchor memories.’ These are the moments that make you think, “yes, this is a great place to work.”

One of my anchor memories was when an employee presented on a topic that was quite personal to them, and took us on a journey of understanding about allyship in the workplace. Unlocking an opportunity for one of our teammates to share honestly was really special. 

As leaders, we’re always thinking about ways we can empower our people to be their true selves, and reach the next stage of their careers. We don’t want them to feel like they need to put on a costume (unless it’s fancy dress). The best workplaces allow their team to show up as their best selves.

How to foster an award-winning culture

1. Look for culture elevators

Don’t look for people who are going to be a culture fit. Look for people who are going to be a culture add. Look for culture elevators.

Culture elevators are the people who take ownership of your culture, and help to improve it. 

They’re the first to reach out when their teammates have had a challenging day, and the first to celebrate when they’ve had a great one. 

When they communicate with someone in another timezone, they schedule their message so it arrives during the recipient’s work hours. 

When they’re invited to a work call, they check that no one has been left out, and make sure that everyone has a chance to speak. 

Culture elevators don’t just show up as their best selves. They’re proactive about empowering others to do the same.

Every single person at Karbon, when they wake up and log on, has a crucial role in making this a great place to work. 

We’re a distributed team and finding ways for us all to connect can be challenging, so many Karbonites have created ‘off topic’ Slack channels. These are spaces where people can share photos of their pets, rally around fitness challenges, and discuss shared interests. And that’s just one example of how we can all be culture elevators.

2. Invest in your people’s journeys

A great leader creates a collective journey with their team. They say, “Here’s the finish line. We’re going to get there together, but along the way, you’re going to need time off, you’re going to need to celebrate yourself and others around you, and I’m going to help you and keep you accountable throughout.”

They recognize that they’re in a unique position to truly impact someone’s life, from the amount of money they can earn, to the career prospects they can have at (and even after) your firm. That’s what we look for in our leaders at Karbon: when was the last time they made a difference? 

It takes commitment and buy-in to be a great leader. But that doesn’t happen by coincidence. 

At Karbon, we’ve spent a lot of time with our leaders, investing in their growth so that they can invest in their team’s growth. It’s so important to support the development of every single person at your firm, and to provide them with the conversations and resources they need to further their careers.

3. Check in regularly

As a leader, you’re the person your team members turn to. You’re the person they come to  when they have questions, when they need support or time off, and when they want to share their wins. And as their leader, you need to be approachable.

A great leader knows their team deeper than the work level. They learn the DNA of their people, so that they can drive a positive learning and career experience.

It all starts with that very first 1:1 with a new team member. This is such an invaluable  opportunity to understand what your expectations are of each other, so you can both deliver on them.

Every conversation from that point on is just as important. No one is their best self when they’re burnt out, and regular check-ins help to make sure your team members are just as well-rested as they are productive.

Each year at Karbon, we run a Time Off report to check that people are using their leave. For those who aren’t, we equip their leaders with a conversation strategy to encourage their employees to take the time off. On top of that, we offer market-leading time off policies, and an Employee Assistance Program to ensure our people feel supported.

At the end of the day, it’s all about clear and regular communication.

4. Celebrate your people

Celebrating and recognizing your team is a key component to building a strong culture at your firm. There are many ways to do this. For example, at Karbon, we have a dedicated Slack channel where everyone celebrates each other’s achievements and recognizes them for their efforts. This simple approach has scaled beautifully.

But celebrating your people is about more than just public recognition. Again, it goes back to having regular conversations and occasionally saying something like, “Hey, you’ve had a really big week and you’ve done an amazing job. Finish up a little earlier today.”

For remote teams, celebrations can absolutely still happen. They’re a great way to keep everyone connected. Recently, one of our Customer Success Managers was getting married, so her team changed their Zoom backgrounds and threw her a surprise virtual wedding shower. And we’ve had countless virtual baby showers too.

These activities happened without any HR or executive involvement. They happened because our teams are engaged, and we encourage them to connect and get to know each other beyond the work they do day-to-day.

5. Create a sense of belonging

Creating a safe workplace is a bare minimum at Karbon. Ensuring that everyone feels heard, seen, and has the confidence and courage to trust others if they need to reach out is really important to us.

Our team operates across six countries, and we all come from diverse backgrounds. That’s why we make sure to always seek to understand first, and seek to be understood second. 

It’s on us as leaders to think about what would matter to other people on the team, be proactive in that space, and make adjustments so that everyone can feel a sense of belonging.

Every person is special and unique, and so you have to create an experience that is special and unique for them. But you also have to acknowledge that sometimes you’ll make mistakes. It’s how you come back from that, and how you treat the person with dignity and respect, that  creates a great place to work. 

That’s something that we do not compromise on at Karbon.

Listen to your people

I couldn’t be more proud to be part of this team, this community, at Karbon. Every single Karbonite owns the 2025 Fortune Best Small Workplace recognition. Every single Karbonite deserves it and is the reason we’ve received it.

If you want to make your workplace just 5% better tomorrow, start by listening to your people. Oftentimes, we think, “How can I make this better? We could try this, or we could try that.” 

But, why don’t you just ask?

Ask your team what would make your firm a truly great place to work, from their perspective.

It can be challenging in a group setting, so consider asking people individually. At your next 1:1, ask your direct report, “If there’s one thing I could change tomorrow that would make this workplace just that little bit better for you, what would that be?”

Think about what works for your company and for your people. That’s how you can build an award-winning culture, and become one of the world’s best workplaces.