Mission: Little of consequence is accomplished unless there is first a dream. After each dream comes the work to make the dream come true. Our mission or, rather, our vision is that we will be relentless in our pursuit of providing 100 percent of our clients with unmatched service and ... Read more
Over the past three weeks, we raised more than $110,000 firmwide for Plante Moran Cares via our “Make the Mark” campaign. Plante Moran Cares benefits staff-selected charities across our footprint, and we’re proud that more than 60 percent of our staff participated in this most recent endeavor.
But don’t think charitable giving is only done as part of firmwide campaigns. Offices plan their own campaigns, too. Most recently, Traverse City Staff Member Doug Leonhardt volunteered to shave his head if the office raised $1,000 in a month. Not surprisingly, they raised that money in record time! As you can see, we have a lot of fun while giving back.
It’s been an exciting year! On Oct. 1, 2018, Plante Moran officially joined forces with Colorado-based EKS&H, becoming the 11th largest accounting, tax, consulting, and wealth management firm in the nation. Combining with this like-minded firm that valued clients and staff above all else allowed us to expand our U.S. presence beyond the Great Lakes region and strengthen our expertise in key market segments like energy. Our two firms have best-in-class cultures. In fact, we have a combined 29 years on Fortune magazine’s list of the “Best Companies to Work For”!
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Founded in 1924, Plante Moran is among the largest audit, tax, consulting, and wealth management firms in the nation, and for 21 years, we’ve been one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Why? Because our award-winning culture is based on one simple premise: We care.
We care about our clients, our staff, and the communities where we live and work. We do the right things for the right reasons. And, as our co-founder Frank Moran was fond of pointing out, we’re relatively jerk-free. (Hey—nobody’s perfect.)
So whether you’re launching your career or looking to make a change, joining our team can bring you closer to your career goals. Meet other bright professionals doing meaningful work. Make a difference. Make your mark.
Story time with Managing Partner Jim Proppe
A while back, I had the opportunity to present a breakout session at the Great Place to Work (GPTW) Conference in Dallas. After the session, Vlad Coho of Riot Games (developer of the astoundingly popular League of Legends videogame) approached me. “I noticed you didn’t use the word ‘employee’ at all during your presentation,” he said. “Was that intentional?”
Was it ever. As far back as the days of co-founder Frank Moran, Plante Moraners have loathed the “E” word. Why? Because we’ve always felt that it misrepresents the relationships we have with one another. It implies we work for one another, not with one another. It implies a hierarchy, an “I’m better than you” mentality versus the “We’re all in this together” sentiment we strive to embody. It has no place in the Plante Moran lexicon, let alone our culture.
Instead, we use “Plante Moraner” or, if we need a more general term, “staff member,” which implies a horizontal framework where we’re all part of the same team versus the vertical hierarchy inherent in the word “employee.”
And when new staff members inevitably use the word, you can bet that we correct them because to us, this “small” designation makes a huge difference.
You see, at Plante Moran, we’re all about people—our clients, our staff, and our communities. We even devote a section of our website to celebrating our people. Because sure, we’re auditors, tax experts, consultants, and financial advisors, but we’re also American Ninja Warrior-training, Plante Moran logo tattoo-getting people with passions like photography and travel. And we think that’s worth celebrating.
So thank you for taking the time to read this and learn more about Plante Moran. While you’re at it, you might as well peruse our campus or experienced job openings. Because every once in a while, the grass is greener.
Jim Proppe
What’s the number-one thing that sets us apart? Our people. What’s number two? Our benefits and programs.
Here’s an overview of some of our staff’s favorite programs and reasons why they enjoying coming to work each day.
Flexible paid time off: This means staff can take time off as needed without having to “bank” time or worry about paid-time-off availability (provided all work objectives are met, of course). We also offer a number of generous leave policies, including 6–12 weeks of paid parental leave for all new parents, including moms, dads, and adoptive parents, as well as 6 weeks of family leave and 4 weeks of personal leave.
Team Partner/Buddy System: Upon joining the firm, each staff member is assigned a buddy and team partner. Buddies help staff become acclimated to the firm. Team partners are mentors responsible for career coaching. That means, from day one, all new staff members have two people assigned to their care and career development. New staff tell us this support and constant mentoring is one of the best things about working at Plante Moran.
Speak Up! Our “Speak Up!” program encourages staff to share ideas for improving the firm, especially those that generate cost savings, gain efficiencies, or enhance client service. Speak Up! springs from a well-known Plante Moran saying, “Speak up. If something’s not right, we’ll change it.” (And with 3,100+ staff weighing in, we’ve made a lot of changes, taking good ideas and turning them into great ones.)
WorkFlex: Do you ever wish that you didn’t have to choose between quality time at work and quality time at home? Enter WorkFlex. Developed to support staff in their ongoing quest for work-life balance, the program has been the catalyst for a number of initiatives, from our business casual dress policy, to a host of alternative working arrangements, to a “buddy” program to support new parents—all in the name of helping staff find their balance.
“For All” Conferences: For one day each year, we shut down our firm and invite all 3,100 staff to our Firm Conference to celebrate our unique culture, recognize promotions, have fun, and hear about the firm’s vision for the future. We also host a firmwide administrative conference, pulling together support staff from all U.S. locations to network, share best practices, and be celebrated as the often-unseen engine that keeps the firm in motion.
Women in Leadership: Our Women in Leadership initiative is aimed to attract, retain, develop, and advance women at the firm and in the accounting profession. Since the program began in 2012, 34 women (35 percent of new partner admissions) have been promoted to partner and, currently, 24 percent of our firm’s partners are women — up nearly 6 percent.
Senior Associate/Principal Promotion: Just a few years ago, we introduced senior associate and principal promotions to acknowledge the significant impact our future leaders have on our firm. It can be a long road to partner; these promotions help staff recognize that they’re moving in the right direction.
Embracing Diversity: We’ve invested a significant amount of time, effort, and expense into creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. And, as part of that effort, we recently hired our first full-time diversity & inclusion manager. We’ve also amped up our onboarding and retention efforts of minorities and women. Why? Because it enables us to enhance the expertise with which we serve our clients and to better reflect the local communities where we live and work.
CORE Training: To progress in a career, you need developmental opportunities. We support staff development through both on-the-job and classroom training. All practice staff attend CORE training, which teaches staff the essential technical and behavioral skills to provide exceptional client service and build a practice.
Plante Moran Cares: It’s one thing to say you care, but it’s another to show it. Every year at Plante Moran, we support a charity at the local-office level through our Plante Moran Cares initiative. Staff members raise money through a variety of fundraising efforts and donate their time throughout their local communities. And we encourage staff to designate 8 hours of FTO each year for community service activities.
You: A bright, motivated student with strong skills to contribute and a great personality.
Us: A relatively-jerk-free firm guided by The Golden Rule offering plenty of flexibility, support, and an endless array of benefits, perks and opportunities. Opportunities like:
Plante Moran Expo: This one-day, invitation-only leadership conference exists to expose college freshmen and sophomores to a career in public accounting, consulting, or wealth management. Students have a chance to use their business skills and prior work experience to showcase your strengths and talents. You may even discover new career opportunities you hadn't considered! Learn more.
Plante Moran Track: This six-week internship program is designed for multicultural college freshman and sophomores. It offers students a snapshot of life at a public accounting firm by shadowing partners as they rotate through various industries. Learn more.
Challenge: Challenge may be the most unique job interview you'll ever experience. During this invitation-only, three-day event, we get to know you while you experience who we are and how we work. You’ll gain an insider’s perspective through an action-packed agenda, including teambuilding, critical thinking breakouts, philanthropy, and most importantly, networking. Learn more.
Internships: Each year, we hire more than 250 interns — top college and university students in the fields of accounting, finance, consulting, and more — for a two-to-three month personalized experience within Plante Moran. We treat interns like first-year staff, assigning them to actual client projects so they can get a real feel for the profession, our firm, and our clients. A high percentage of our interns receive full-time offers with the firm. And, among our current partners, more than 25 percent had internships with us, including several former managing partners. Learn more.
Helpful (7)
I have been working at Plante Moran full-time (More than 3 years)
Pros
Plante Moran has been one of the Top 100 companies to work for for 21 years, and the company strives to live up to that title. Everyone, from the partners to the staff, strives to make Plante the best team environment it can be. When you start, you are assigned a a buddy with slightly more experience as well as a team partner to help with any questions or issues that you may encounter. They also takes an interest in your goals and how you want to grow within the firm so that both you and the firm benefit.
I also gained a lot of varied experience at Plante Moran. Due to being middle market, staff are able to work a wider variety of clients throughout the year as well as getting exposure to a lot of different sections of the audit. By the end of my first year, I had touched almost every section of the audit including helping prepare financial statements.
Cons
All the cons associated with Plante are the ones that you would see from other public accounting firms, though perhaps not as severe. Busy season is stressful, and there is a lot of learning on the job, which can be frustrating at times no matter how much others are helping you. However, all the support mentioned above very much helps lessen these issues.
Application
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Plante Moran (Southfield, MI) in September 2017.
Interview
The interview process was pretty standard, asking about strengths, weaknesses, fit with the company etc. My main takeaway from the experience was how much the people who work there love the company. It is true what they say about the tremendous culture there.
Interview Questions
Diversity Commitment
Has programs that support a diverse and inclusive workforce
