Finance and accounting professionals are stressing out overtheir mounting responsibilities, according to a survey of 1,400finance chiefs by staffing firm Accountemps. Not surprisingly, thistrend is stressing out CFOs.

“There is an overwhelming feeling by CFOs that their duties arenow far greater than they have been during traditional accountingcycles and traditional projects than at any time in the recentpast,” says Susan Afan, senior regional manager for Robert HalfInternational, Accountemps' parent company. “And they worry that asthe increased work trickles down the corporate ladder, team membersare becoming overburdened with responsibilities.”

Indeed, one in three CFO respondents (35%) said team membersworry more about their increasingly heavy workloads than othertroubling issues. Job security came in a distant second at 19%;corporate governance was third, with 17%, followed by personnelissues, 14%, and work/life balance issues, 11%. The remaining 4%didn't know or didn't consider any of these their top concern.

Afan attributed the escalating anxiety to several factors,including increasing regulation, a shortage of skilled workers andan uncertain economy. With concern over morale mounting, CFOs must,more than ever, become experts at prioritizing projects,eliminating less important plans and putting critical tasks on thefront burner, says Afan.