Future of Work and Accounting Research Symposium

Professor Khim Kelly

Future of Work: Generative AI Use and Job Engagement

How are employees actually using generative AI at work—and what does that mean for the future of work itself? Drawing from a survey of over 800 respondents, this talk explores emerging patterns in how generative AI tools are being integrated into daily work tasks and employee perceptions about the impact of generative AI use on their current work and their future work. Are the most optimistic, engaged, and high-performing employees also the most receptive to generative AI? And if so, what does that suggest about workplace dynamics, performance management, equity, and innovation? This plenary raises key questions about who benefits the most from generative AI adoption, and what both employers and employees should consider as these technologies become deeply embedded in organizational life. 

Professor Yves Gendron

Digital transformation in the accounting profession: Jurisdictional challenges?

In the last several years, the accounting profession has invested massively in high-tech devices. However, recent studies present the accounting profession as one of the occupations which is the most threatened by the spread of artificial intelligence. How can we make sense of this paradox? I argue that the spread of high technology in accounting firms jeopardizes the accounting profession’s jurisdiction, especially regarding the controllability of its knowledge base. If my thesis is right, then the accounting profession is heading down a perilous path, with major stakes in terms of employment, the nature of accountability in the business world, and university education. 

Vaughan Radcliffe

Tax, Technology, and Craftsmanship

The impacts of technological change and automation are now being explored in audit, yet parallel studies of tax practitioners are more limited in scope. It cannot be assumed that the two practice areas will follow similar paths. The present study reports the results of a multi-method qualitative study of tax lawyers and accountants which suggests that tax work appears to be more resistant to technology than auditing is. Although automation is enthusiastically embraced in the area of tax compliance, this is not the case for tax advisory work. We explain this by reference to the commitment to craftsmanship that prevails in tax advisory work. Craftsmanship is important in understanding how experts respond to technological encroachment, and we suggest has wider applicability 

Audrey Ancion

Audrey is a Partner with Deloitte AI & Data. As an AI Strategy Partner, Audrey helps organizations create robust and purposeful roadmaps by prioritizing strategic business issues that can be solved for with data and by quantifying both risks and benefits of AI and GenAI applications. Audrey is passionate about connecting data and technology capabilities to strategy, people and process enablers to extract value. She helps clients across industries build and strengthen their data and AI capabilities by creating and operationalizing education, adoption, and governance mechanisms. Audrey also leads Deloitte Canada’s AI Institute. In that capacity, she has led the research and development of four Deloitte publications including “The key to delivering analytics advantage: Your people “ , “Building world-class analytics teams that deliver results”, “Upskilling in the age of AI” and more recently “Artificial Intelligence for Social Good”. In 2023, she led the joint research and publication effort with Vector, AMII, Mila and CIFAR to produce Canada’s 2023 National AI Eco-system report: Impact and Opportunities. 

Zohaib Akhtar

Zohaib is a Techno-Functional Business Leader. In today’s rapidly changing world, he’s carved his own niche by creating synergies between his business education and technology expertise to become a master of bridging the strategy to execution gap! Having his CMA, CIA, CSCA, Data Science & Data Engineering education, he has worked for iconic companies such as Blackberry, Mattel, Pepsico, and is now at Deloitte. He is strategic, focused, and believes in having a strong future-proof vision. 

Sarah Erle

Diane-Laure Arjalies

Accounting for Inclusion: The Barriers Faced and Path Forward for Indigenous Accountants

This presentation explores why Indigenous peoples remain so underrepresented in Canada’s accounting profession, at less than 1% of all CPAs. We walk through the barriers that have led to this exclusion, from educational gaps to cultural disconnects and historical mistrust.

Using data and maps, we show why inclusion matters not just for the Indigenous communities managing land, resources, and economic partnerships, but also the implications for the profession and business schools. We also look at what’s currently being done, what’s missing, and what it will take to move forward and address these challenges. 

Nicholle Kovach

Paying Employees to Stay: The Influence of Retention Bonuses on Employees

Retention bonuses are commonly used to retain employees during critical business periods, yet little is known about how their design impacts behavior. Across three studies, we examine how selection criteria, merit-based or non-merit-based, affect employee retention and effort. A survey of full-time workers confirms the widespread use of retention bonuses and variation in selection methods. An online experiment shows that receiving a bonus increases retention intentions regardless of criteria. However, employees selected based on merit exert less post-bonus effort than those selected using non-merit criteria. A follow-up lab experiment using an effort-based task supports this effect on post-bonus employee effort.