Hartford Business Journal story on workplaces quotes FML

By Frank Milone, CPA, Founding Partner, Assurance & Advisory Services
Jun 14, 2021

The Hartford Business Journal published an article recently on employers in the Greater Hartford area testing the waters of a post-COVID work environment. I had the chance to be quoted along with other local business leaders. Read the full story here. Below is an excerpt from the section of the article where my quotes were used.

Glastonbury-based accounting firm Fiondella Milone & LaSaracina (FML) has approximately 85 employees based out of its home office and another in Enfield. Most have been remote during the pandemic, but that could change in July.

Frank Milone, a partner at FML, said the firm’s leadership team has been evaluating its options for some time and is expected to roll out further announcements to employees soon.

“I don’t think we’ll ever not have an office, I don’t think we’ll ever be a fully remote environment,” Milone said.

He anticipates there will be more flexibility for remote scheduling at FML in the future. The firm wants to respect the different desires and concerns of its workers as best it can, he said. However, FML is also likely going to have to grapple with some key differences in employee duties.

Its audit department normally spends much of its week on the road visiting clients, but has been interacting with those customers remotely during the pandemic. If audit clients begin to demand in-person meetings in the months ahead, it means a remote schedule may not be a permanent option for FML’s auditors.

“We need to ensure employees understand that,” he said.

Meanwhile, FML’s tax department has historically worked mostly in the office, and therefore could be a more likely candidate for remote work over the long term, he said.