For years, the accounting profession has focused heavily on staffing shortages, burnout, retention, and the future talent pipeline. Firms and organizations have invested in technology, leadership development, flexible work arrangements, and wellness initiatives to help address these challenges. And while those conversations matter, there’s another reality emerging beneath the surface — one that affects professionals across public practice, business and industry, government, education, consulting, and nonprofit organizations alike.
Many professionals are now simultaneously managing peak career demands and significant caregiving responsibilities. Some are raising children. Others are supporting aging parents and family members. Many are doing both. And increasingly, they are suffering quietly.
That reality is at the center of the 2026 research theme for the Accounting MOVE Project: “Caught in the Middle.” The project is examining how caregiving responsibilities may be reshaping advancement, leadership development, and retention across the profession. Importantly, this conversation is bigger than policy discussions or workplace terminology. It is about lived experiences.
It is about whether professionals feel supported enough to continue growing their careers without sacrificing their personal responsibilities or well-being. And ultimately, it is about belonging.
Belonging is More Than a Buzzword
The accounting profession has spent considerable time debating language around inclusion, equity, and workplace culture in recent years. But most professionals are less concerned about what organizations call these initiatives than whether they experience support in meaningful ways.
People notice whether flexibility is truly accepted — or quietly penalized. They notice whether leaders demonstrate empathy. They notice whether caregiving responsibilities are treated as temporary inconveniences or recognized as legitimate realities that affect talented professionals at every level. And they notice whether advancement opportunities remain accessible for those navigating complex personal demands.
That’s why belonging matters.
Not because it is a trendy concept, but because professionals who feel valued, respected, and understood are more likely to remain engaged, contribute at a high level, and envision long-term futures within their organizations. This is particularly important as experienced professionals increasingly find themselves balancing leadership responsibilities with caregiving obligations.
The profession has long discussed how to attract talent. But retention often depends on whether people believe they can sustain successful careers without hiding major parts of their lives.
The Hidden Leadership Pipeline Problem
Many organizations are already seeing the impact. Professionals in mid-career leadership tracks — often some of the most experienced and valuable team members — may be reducing hours, stepping back from advancement opportunities, or leaving altogether because the demands become unsustainable.
Not because they lack ambition. Not because they lack capability. But because the systems around them were not designed with modern realities in mind.
Historically, career progression models often assumed that professionals had consistent availability, predictable schedules, and limited external caregiving demands during peak advancement years. Today, that assumption no longer reflects reality for many people. And when organizations fail to adapt, they risk losing precisely the professionals they most need to retain.
The Accounting MOVE Project has spent years studying what drives advancement and retention through the framework of Money, Opportunity, Vital Supports, and Entrepreneurship — the “MOVE” factors. This year’s caregiving focus recognizes that career development cannot be separated from the broader realities professionals are navigating outside of work. That insight has implications far beyond human resources departments. It affects succession planning. Leadership development. Institutional knowledge retention. Client relationships. And organizational resilience.
Flexibility Alone Isn’t the Answer
Many organizations responded to recent workforce challenges by increasing workplace flexibility. That was an important step.But flexibility by itself does not automatically create belonging.Professionals often say they technically have access to flexible schedules while still feeling pressure not to use them.Others fear being perceived as less committed if they establish boundaries around caregiving responsibilities.Some worry that stepping away temporarily from high-visibility opportunities may permanently affect advancement potential.
In other words, culture often matters more than policy.
Organizations that successfully retain talented professionals tend to create environments where support is visible, normalized, and reinforced by leadership behavior — not just written into employee handbooks. That includes leaders who model healthy boundaries themselves. Leaders who acknowledge caregiving realities openly. Leaders who evaluate performance based on contribution and outcomes rather than visibility alone. And leaders who recognize that supporting professionals through demanding life seasons ultimately strengthen loyalty, engagement, and long-term retention.
This is About the Future of the Profession
One of the biggest misconceptions in conversations around belonging and inclusion is the idea that these discussions are separate from business performance.In reality, they are deeply connected.
Organizations that understand evolving workforce realities are often better positioned to attract and retain talent in a highly competitive environment. They are also more likely to preserve institutional knowledge, maintain stronger client continuity, and build leadership pipelines capable of sustaining long-term growth. That matters for the profession as a whole.
The accounting profession already faces significant demographic shifts, talent shortages, and increasing complexity. Losing experienced professionals because they feel unsupported during caregiving-heavy life stages creates additional strain that many organizations can ill afford. At the same time, younger professionals are paying close attention to workplace culture. They are watching how organizations treat people during difficult or demanding seasons of life. They are evaluating whether leadership behaviors align with organizational messaging. And increasingly, they are choosing employers based not only on compensation, but also on whether they believe they can build sustainable careers there.
That is not a generational weakness. It is a reflection of changing expectations around work, leadership, and well-being.
Measuring What Matters
One reason the Accounting MOVE Project remains important is that it helps organizations move beyond assumptions and anecdotes.As the project notes, organizations “can’t fix what [they] don’t measure.”
The research provides benchmarking data, identifies trends, and helps organizations better understand where professionals may be stalling, disengaging, or leaving. It also highlights practical strategies organizations can implement to improve retention, advancement, and workplace culture. That matters because many leaders genuinely want to improve — but may not fully understand where gaps exist or how experiences vary across their workforce.
Data helps create clarity. And clarity creates opportunities for meaningful action.
The Opportunity Ahead
The good news is that the profession has already demonstrated its ability to evolve. Accounting professionals adapted rapidly through major technological shifts, remote work transitions, regulatory changes, and increasing client complexity. The profession can also evolve in how it supports people. But doing so requires moving beyond performative conversations and focusing instead on real experiences. It requires recognizing that belonging is not a side initiative. It is part of how organizations build resilient teams, sustainable leadership pipelines, and stronger cultures. And it requires understanding that caregiving is not a niche issue affecting only a small segment of the workforce. It is increasingly part of the professional reality for many talented, experienced individuals across the profession.
The organizations that acknowledge that reality — and respond thoughtfully — may ultimately be the ones best positioned to retain talent, strengthen leadership, and navigate the future successfully. Because when professionals feel they truly belong, they are more likely to stay, grow, lead, and help others do the same.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Donny Shimamoto, CPA.CITP, CGMA, is the founder and inspiration architect of the Center for Accounting Transformation.
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