Motivation for accounting human resources by material stimulation: The case of accounting service firms in Hanoi, Vietnam

ny, the accountant will also receive a commission 
of 5% to 10% of the revenue from that customer. Accounting service firms implement salary regime in 
January every year, based on evaluating the completion of work: Completing the assigned work 
schedule, Ensuring work efficiency and quality of work assigned, and complying with the rules and 
discipline of the firm, having creative contributions, opinions and suggestions that are effectively 
applied in the work. At accounting service firms, the payment of salaries to employees is paid by the 
accounting department. Wages of employees are calculated based on evaluating the performance of 
employees. Payment time: Firms pay monthly salaries for all employees on the days from the 3rd to 
6th of the following month. The way to receive salary is by bank transfer via ATM card system of the 
bank. Ensuring a timely payment of salary helps employees feel secure to have financial resources for 
their own lives. It also shows that accounting services companies are doing quite well on timely 
payment of employees' salaries and creating comfortable psychology for workers. In addition to 
ensuring a pay period, it is very important to pay the salaries for the responsibilities and quality of each 
employee in the organization, when conducting a survey on “Monthly salary is commensurate with the 
responsibility and quality of work”; The authors obtained the following chart of summary opinions of 
the accounting human resources as followed: 
Fig. 3. The percentage of accounting human resources for “Monthly salary is commensurate with the 
responsibility and quality of work” 
Fig. 3 shows that 31.6% of accounting human resources fully agree and 45% agree with the salaries 
given to accounting employees for accomplishing the responsibilities in their organizations by 
accounting service firms. Only 13.1% did not agree and totally disagree about wages and benefit 
packages. Accounting service firms have policies to increase salaries for HR accountants. Normally, 
once a year, the board of directors held a meeting on salary increase for accounting human resources, 
based on working time at the firm; dedication and creativity of accounting human resources; results of 
completing the work of accounting accountants and finally according to profitability of the 
organizations. 
31.6
45
10.3
6.9
6.2
Fully agree Agree Nutral Disagree Fully disagree
D. T. Do et al./Accounting 6 (2020) 29
Rewards for HR accountants 
Accountants have received bonuses (holidays, Tet holidays, company founding days), etc. The average 
level that accounting service firms pay bonuses to accountants is shown in Fig. 4 as follows, 
Fig. 4. Bonus payment regulations (Unit: VND) 
In addition, every three months, the firm's board of directors and managers hold meetings and make an 
assessment on the performance of different individuals and departments in the company to carry out 
commendation. The form of bonuses at firms that are being mainly applied is cash bonus. Firms reward 
for the collective department fulfilled the task before the assigned deadline is 1,000,000 / 1 department 
/ 1 time and reward for employees when they have positive new contributions, bringing great value to 
the firm is 1,000,000 / 1 initiative applied in practice / 1 time. 
Welfare regime 
Accountants have received welfare: traveling in the beginning of the spring, vacation every year, travel 
every year, etc. The time and place of traveling is at the beginning of the spring. In addition, the board 
of directors decides on travel and vacation schedules. Accounting service firms fully implement the 
social insurance regime for employees so that workers find that they are guaranteed when they fall ill; 
with female workers in the public, they are entitled for full support for maternity regimes. Accountants 
are entitled to leave from work, enjoy full salary for holidays and Tet. The accountants are able to leave 
for the absence of their own jobs and still get full pay when they get married, their children get married 
or their parents die. The average level that accounting service firms perform welfare payments for 
accounting HR is shown in Table 7 as follows. 
Table 7 
Regulation of welfare spending (unit: VND) 
No Explanation Payment 
1 International Women's Day (8/3) - Female labor 300,000 
2 Vietnamese Women's Day (October 20) - Female labor 300,000 
3 International Children's Day (June 1) 300,000 
4 The sick worker 500,000 
5 Parents are sick 500,000 
6 Children are sick 500,000 
7 Wedding workers 1,000,000 
8 Four samples of women lost 500,000 
9 Vacation every year, travel every year (1 time / year) 3,000,000 
10 Traveling in the beginning of the spring (1 time / year) 500,000 
300,000
5,000,000
300,000 300,000 300,000 300,000 500,000
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
New Year
(01/01)
Lunar New Year Hung Vuong's
death
anniversary
Liberation day
of the south
(30/4)
International
Labor Day
(01/5)
Independence
Day
Company
founding days
 30
Allowances: 
Accounting service firms in Hanoi have made allowances including: (i) Responsibility allowance, 
lunch allowance, gasoline allowance, phone allowance. Accounting HR receive these allowances at the 
same time of receiving monthly salaries. Accounting HR are entitled to an allowance at the rate of 
actual working days in the month. The average level that accounting service firms make allowances for 
accounting HR is shown in Fig. 5. 
Fig. 5. Regulation of allowances (Unit: VND) 
In addition to fixed allowances, accounting service firms also make payment for accounting human 
resources in terms of working expense. Support level includes eating and drinking, personal activities: 
If going back home in a day, the company supports 200,000 VND / day, if going from two days or 
more in neighboring provinces the firm gives 250,000 / day. The cost of train tickets, car tickets, motels, 
hotels, and accountants will be covered by vouchers of payment. When the income level that the 
accounting human resources receives is commensurate with the merit and work that makes them 
comfortable and effective, it will attract the dedication and wisdom of the people. Therefore, 
enterprises' managers of accounting services firms need to pay more attention, contributing to the use 
of effective accounting human resources, as a competitive factor in the process of sustainable 
development. Accounting human resources are educated and trained quite well in universities, colleges 
and accounting service firms. However, an accounting department of human resources has not received 
the expected level, so there is still a phenomenon of accounting human resources for job jumps. 
5. Recommendations 
Complete salary work associated with performance accountant 
The level of salaries for accountants must ensure satisfactory living, further learning, thus attract high-
quality accountants to work for Accounting Services Firms. In most cases, salary is the most effective 
driving force that has been applied so far. Types of labor remuneration play a key role in motivating 
workers to work for and create value for the firm. Therefore, it is necessary: 
 (i). to develop an effective performance assessment system to create the firm basis for the remuneration 
according to the level of work completion and the work performed; thus to maintain the current 
5,
00
0,
00
0
4,
00
0,
00
0
3,
50
0,
00
0
3,
00
0,
00
0
68
0,
00
0
68
0,
00
0
68
0,
00
0
68
0,
00
0
68
0,
00
0
1,
00
0,
00
0
80
0,
00
0
70
0,
00
0
60
0,
00
0
50
0,
00
0
1,
00
0,
00
0
80
0,
00
0
70
0,
00
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0,
00
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00
0
D I R E C T O R V I C E D I R E C T O R C H I E F 
A C C O U N T A N T
M A N A G E R E M P L O Y E E S
Responsibility Lunch Gasoline Phone
D. T. Do et al./Accounting 6 (2020) 31
accounting human resources, as well as to attract and retain expert accountants, especially job 
placement. A high salary and recognition by the superiors can make accountants stick with Accounting 
Services Firms for a long period of time. 
(ii). The forms of payment and paying salaries need to be conducted in a detailed, specific, fair, and 
accurate way: The department in charge of payroll management is responsible for explaining the ideas 
of the accounting HR on their salaries when they have questions. 
(iii). Developing clear regulations on standards and conditions for wage increase, ensuring publicity 
and transparency. The division in charge of salary management needs to develop documents regulating 
specific standards. The conditions for salary increase and approval are approved by the Board of 
Directors of the company, with documents coming from the department, ensuring widespread 
dissemination to all employees and serious, public and transparent implementation. 
(iv). Developing specific criteria for each employee to pay salary for the right people in the right job, 
needing to add criteria for seniority working for employees who have been with the company for many 
years. 
(v). There is also a need to develop a job description suitable to the capacity and ability of accounting 
HR to meet the requirements of that job, thereby rationalizing the assignment and layout, choosing 
right person for the right job so that the accountant knows the specific job they have to do, accomplish 
it well and motivate themselves to work. 
(vi). Enhancing fostering and improving the professional level of the Ministry of salary operations. 
Construction appropriate reward and welfare regimes 
Have a reward system that is written in documents for each reward level, celebrate a recognition 
ceremony to show support and consensus among employees, thus encourage creativity. The reward 
decision should be made in a timely manner: The employee has a reward to be rewarded as soon as 
possible. If it is not possible to award immediately, there must be praise right away for the outstanding 
achievements gained by the employee. Implementation of seniority bonus regime: For the accountants 
who make accounting for long-term companies, at the end of the year, they can be rewarded according 
to a certain level to encourage them to stick with the company. 
Diversify types of benefits: 
Currently, accounting services firms only apply compulsory forms of benefits but firms need to 
diversify types of benefits such as: 
Organizing periodic health examination for employees, supporting bank loans for workers to stabilize 
their lives. 
Establishing a trade union organization: an organization representing workers to establish a healthy, 
stable and attracting environment to labors. 
Organizing counseling sessions on labor law so that employees can understand, trust and well 
implement the policies offered by the Company. 
Implementing the reward regime for children of public employees who have achieved outstanding 
achievements in studying. 
The content of service welfare programs should be contributed by accountants to create excitement for 
the programs. Because of the benefits for accounting human resources, it is necessary to survey the 
opinion of the accountant. 
6. Conclusion 
Nowadays, motivation for accounting human resources is one of the necessary measures for accounting 
service firms because of accounting human resources are people who directly contribute to the 
development of firms. Accounting service firms to attach special important to motivate for accounting 
 32
human resources will urge accounting human resources engrossed work, strive to improve their skills 
to improve performance’s accountant, contribute to improving business performance of the firm and 
raise income of the accountants. Human motivation’s Accounting service firms are conformtable, 
satisfying the needs of accountants, accountants are assured of working and accountants have a 
strodependency to accounting service firms. 
This study was conducted for evaluating the motivation for accounting human resources by material 
stimulation in the accounting service firms in Hanoi via payroll, evaluating the work performance, 
bonus measures, welfare, etc. Some recommendations were also given for improving the motivation 
for accounting human resources by material stimulation in the accounting service firms in Hanoi. 
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