225+
5 reviews
MikeMike
16:04 13 Mar 23
Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.
C R.C R.
10:45 27 Jan 23
Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊
ChristineChristine
10:32 20 Dec 22
Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!
Helen PinegarHelen Pinegar
16:19 18 Dec 22
Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!
Lisa LeighLisa Leigh
11:56 30 Nov 22
I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.
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Why your business needs a great Management Accountant

The dictionary definition of Management Accounts:

“A set of summarised accounting data (balance sheet, cash flow and income statement) prepared and presented (usually every month, fortnight or week) specifically for a firm’s management. The objective of management accounts is to provide timely and key financial and statistical information required by managers to make day to day and longer-term business decisions.

 

While financial accounts are the lifeblood of a business providing a snapshot of the income received and bank balance, it is the management accounts that truly deliver a story of where the business has been, where it is now and where it looks like heading. Management accounts are the thermometer of a business’s viability and critically it’s financial and commercial well being.

While AI is constantly looking to replace formulaic accounting there can be no substitute for a strong management accountant and true finance business partner to be the bellwether of a company’s performance.

Here at my company, Astute Recruitment, we have noticed an increased demand from SME business owners and Finance Directors for truly strong Management Accountants / Financial Business Partners – to go through the numbers, genuinely understand the ebbs and flows to provide the senior management team with clear, succinct, accurate information to genuinely impact the bottom line. People who can liaise with key internal and external stakeholders, providing them with meaningful operational information but who can also challenge the status quo to improve performance further.

If you are a Part Qualified/ Qualified Management Accountant who is looking for a genuine chance to add value and perform a true management accounting service for a great business, please contact Andy Lilliman or I for a confidential chat on 01332 346 100 or by email: [email protected] OR  [email protected]

We have a number of brilliant roles at the moment with client’s keen to interview before the Christmas Holidays!

10th of the 10th – World Mental Health Day – What does that mean to you?
10th of the 10th – World Mental Health Day – What does that mean to you?

10th of the 10th  – World Mental Health Day – What does that mean to you?

Mental health is no friend of age, race, creed or colour.

It does not discriminate between male and female.

It does not care if you are rich or poor.

But you or I should.

Look around your office. If you have a team of 4+ staff, on average, one of you will be affected by Mental Health.

Those are the hard facts.

So, don’t dismiss the 10th of the 10th.

Instead think about your work colleagues, friends, family and neighbours. Think about whether a friendly word, smile, some small act of re-assurance or a kindly deed could just make that all important difference to someone not in your sphere of happiness.

That’s what World Mental Health Day is about, and what every single day is about too.

I hope this article resonates with some of you reading this and if even a few are motivated to make a difference, no matter how small, to someone, the 10th of the 10th will be worthwhile. If you are someone who is affected by Mental Health – hopefully, these few words will sustain, encourage and give you the confidence to know you are not alone and there ARE people who care.

Just one of the many charities specialising in Mental Health is https://www.mqmentalhealth.org/ where you can find out more about the issues and how these can be overcome.

 

By Mary Maguire

MD – Astute Recruitment Ltd

 

Leigh Timmis round the world cyclist and adventurer will be speaking at Astute Recruitment's Business Breakfast on 18th Oct 2018 at Derby's iconic 3AAA County Ground
Leigh Timmis round the world cyclist and adventurer will be speaking at Astute Recruitment’s Business Breakfast on 18th Oct 2018 at Derby’s iconic 3AAA County Ground

 

DERBY-based business Astute Recruitment has teamed up with round-the-world cyclist and new Guinness World Record hopeful, Leigh Timmis to share tips on how East Midlands-based businesses can deliver a world class performance.

The ‘Cycling for Success’ business breakfast event, which will take place on 18 October at the iconic 3AAA County Cricket ground in Derby, not only focuses on building a world class team, but will also put a spotlight on Mental Health and Mental Resilience.

Local professionals will hear tips and anecdotes from Leigh, touching on how he created a world-class performance despite a number of challenges and set backs along the way. They will also learn how crucial mental health is in achieving goals and overcoming pitfalls, Leigh will also discuss how important it is to have the right team around you – a key issue many SMEs face as they grow.

Derby-based world record hopeful, Leigh Timmis said: “This will be my first engagement after my world record attempt and I’m hoping to be able to speak about the world record I will hold by that point.

“It’s fantastic to be working with Astute to help local businesses create a world class performance whether that’s locally or internationally. I’m also excited to be able to raise awareness for my charity, MQ: Transforming Mental Health, working to share the importance of mental health in creating personal and professional success.”

Having struggled with mental health issues in the past, the topic is something that’s close to local adventurer, Leigh Timmis’ heart. After quitting his job in 2010, Leigh cycled around the world for over seven years.

Leigh’s latest adventure saw him fly to Carbo da Roca in Portugal on the 10 September to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for cycling across Europe in the fastest time. Leigh will be speaking at the event less than a month after his world record attempt which he hoped to complete in just 20 days, four less than the current world record. In the event Leigh smashed not only the World Record but also his own goal of 20 days – completing the marathon cycle in just 16 days!

Managing director of Astute Recruitment Ltd, Mary Maguire, said: “It’s a really great honour to be able to partner with Leigh for this event, he’s such an inspirational person and a great business speaker.

“The aim of the breakfast session is for delegates to leave in a positive, can do frame of mind, feeling confident that they can use some of Leigh’s tips to bolster team spirit, harness potential and exceed expectations. Whether these are business goals, career goals or personal goals.”

To sign up for the event please visit: https://www.astuterecruitment.com/leigh-timmis-round-the-world-cyclist-presenting-tips-anecdotes-for-success-at-one-off-event-at-derbys-iconic-3aaa-county-ground-on-18th-october-2018/

Astute has worked to secure more than 1500 jobs for local businesses and is continuing to go from strength to strength, hiring three new consultants in the last six months and launching a highly successful commercial division.

What keeps financial controllers awake at night and 4 brilliant tips for aspiring FCs

Here at Astute Recruitment, we recognise that the aspiring FC’s of tomorrow want to learn what key challenges they will face taking the next step in their career. So, we’ve taken the time to signpost the 5 main challenges Financial Controllers Face and key tips on how you can gain experience to step up to an FC role.

  1. According to research conducted by EY, the number one cause of sleepless nights is recruiting the right finance staff for your team and succession planning.
  • TIP: If you are an aspiring Financial Controller, any exposure to the recruitment process will be invaluable, whether liaising with recruitment consultancies, crafting clear and accurate job descriptions or mastering interview techniques for potential staff. Put yourself forward and offer to help in any way you can.

2.  Keeping abreast of new accounting treatments, changes to IFRS and revenue recognition.

  • For the aspiring FC, if you can demonstrate how you have maintained great current knowledge of all the latest developments in financial and management accounting, you will be positioning yourself ahead of a lot of other job applicants or in your chase of a promotion. Offer to alleviate workloads from your Financial Controller and gain excellent experience to add value to your CV at the same time.

3. Implementing changes/ Change management

  • Many of our client’s state “change management” as key criteria for potential job applicants to Financial Controller opportunities. Finance Directors, CFO’s and senior Financial Controllers have ever increasing remits, not just across Finance but also embracing Operations, HR, IT, Procurement and Production. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

  • If you can spot areas you can offer to help them- suggest projects to improve financial processes, or to clarify and create ever quicker, concise management information, you will achieve 2 things:
    You will be able to demonstrate to an existing or future employer how you have made a tangible difference benefitting the business.
    You will have proven experience of taking initiative and of you specifically suggesting solutions that have worked.
    In essence, you will have positioned yourself as a more credible applicant, proven to go the extra mile and someone who can deliver defined improvements to a business’ operation!

 

  •  A common failing cited by clients of unsuccessful applicants for FC and other positions is that the candidate was great – personable, knowledgeable and suitably experienced BUT– When asked to provide examples of how they have made a difference – candidates have described how they have been part of a team who have done a/b/c but failed to demonstrate how they have personally taken ownership and made a difference themselves. You need to sell yourself and promote your achievements clearly, concisely and be able to demonstrate the benefits to finance and for the business as a whole of what you did. Practice telling your story so your words can flow in the heat of an interview situation.

 

4. Less margin for error yet no increased leeway for reporting deadlines to be achieved.

  • Finance Directors are increasingly spending more time on investor relations, more time on corporate governance and yet are still expected to devote the same energy and time ‘on the business’. As a result, more FD’s are increasingly willing to push more work onto their Financial Controllers.
  • In an article for E&Y, a senior Financial Controller for a well-known manufacturer said that “the difference between the CFO and the FC is that the FC is more like the financial operating officer. They make sure that there are no surprises in the balance sheet and that the audits are clean. The CFO/ FD keeps on top of the numbers, but they have a big external focus in the positioning of the company with investors”

 

  • How can this help an aspiring Financial Controller? Offer your help to assist your FC with their traditional duties while they may be given extra workloads cascaded down from their own boss. Always remember – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone had a great time at our business breakfast on Mental Resilience. Our guest speaker, John Dabrowski, did an amazing presentation explaining the importance of mental and physical wellbeing professionally and personally to each and every one of us.

Some key takeaways: –

We all need to take the time to develop our self-belief and sense of self-worth. It is these that give us the confidence to perform to our maximum potential at work or in our personal lives.

It is crucial to pro-actively train ourselves to look for the positives when adversity hits. Easier said than done, but John demonstrated some great techniques we can all implement as part of our daily routines to make these changes become an important habit and vital life skill.

John also talked about the importance of visualisation. When you have a challenge to overcome, be it a difficult meeting, a new responsibility at work or where you have to present to a team for the first time, John talked about the power of visualising yourself succeeding. You need to close your eyes and in your mind picture the ‘challenge’ and picture yourself successfully doing it. This is incredibly powerful and triggers synapses in your brain which automatically kick into gear when you physically attempt to do the ‘challenge’ to help you.

John went on to give some brilliant examples of sportsmen and sportswomen who have achieved the absolute pinnacle in their disciplines. From an early age they had a goal, visualised themselves being successful and then had the focus to singularly pursue their dream. The ability to focus is actually key in developing mental resilience and John spoke in depth about this.

Mental resilience also means being able to bounce back from physical as well as mental adversity. John encouraged us to seek out the positives regardless of the situation… there is always some positive that we can take – it’s just that sometimes it is easier to do this than others.

Another key area are Comfort zones. – it is only when we challenge ourselves to move outside our comfort zones that we can truly grow our inner self-belief and ultimately grow our confidence levels. So when you are given a new task which stretches your abilities and makes you nervous, if you complete this – the completion of that task will instil a new aura of confidence so that eventually this challenge will become a natural part of you which you can confidently execute. Then you can move onto the next challenge!

There were many other things that John mentioned and these are explored in depth in his book “Off The Wall – How to develop world class mental resilience”. Click HERE to go to John’s website at JD Mindcoach

 

So – thank you to John,  our team at Astute and of course our guests who came and made the event a really memorable and potentially life changing experience!

 

 

Some photos of the event:

John-Dabrowski-Giving-one-of-his-books-to-winner-at-Astute-Recruitments-Mental-Resilience-Workshop at Branston Golf & Country Club
John-Dabrowski-Giving-one-of-his-books-to-winner-at-Astute-Recruitments-Mental-Resilience-Workshop

 

John Dabrowski sharing a great video clip of a famous basketball player at Astute Recriutment Ltd Business Breakfast on Mental Resilience
John Dabrowski sharing a great video clip of a famous basketball player at Astute Recriutment Ltd Business Breakfast on Mental Resilience

 

 

 

 

 

Exclusive Mental Resilience In The Workplace Business Breakfast Hosted By Astute Recruitment With John Dabrowski
Exclusive Mental Resilience In The Workplace Business Breakfast Hosted By Astute Recruitment With John Dabrowski

 

Astute Recruitment are delighted to announce our next exclusive quarterly business breakfast event will take place on February 15th 2018. We have managed to secure a fantastic international guest speaker, published author and business coach – John Dabrowski!

·        Have you ever felt that pressure of work is getting too much?

·        Do you wish you could relax more and feel less stressed?

·        Are there times when you get stuck in a negative mindset?

·        Could you and your team benefit from techniques to maintain a positive mindset?

·        Would you and your team like to be inspired and energised at work?

If the answer to any of the above is yes…then this event is for you! You will hear from John about the key strategies to improve your own mindset and that of your team in this powerful workshop.

 

John has spent over 30 years in the business world, putting him in a unique position to deal with contemporary business challenges. His vast mix of experience, accomplished ability to make personal growth simple, delivered with his infectious enthusiasm and energy, has inspired audiences, and made him a most highly regarded and sought after expert in all aspects of mental resilience.

 

Photo of John Dabrowski
Photo of John Dabrowski
Mental Resilience Expert 
International Speaker
Published Author

http://www.jdmindcoach.com/

Programme: –

7:30          Registration, complimentary tea/ coffee and           Complimentary breakfast
7:45          Introduction
7:50          John Dabrowski
8:45          Opportunity for Q & A / Networking
9:00          Close

Free car parking is available and if you have any special dietary requirements please contact Mary Maguire – [email protected]

Please let us know if the breakfast event could be of interest and one of our team can forward you a complimentary and exclusive invitation to attend with details to confirm your place. This event is strictly by invitation only and there are only a few places so ensure you don’t miss out and contact Mary Maguire, Managing Director on 01332 346 100 or by email [email protected] for more information.

Do let us know if you would be interested in hearing about other events… and if you would like to subscribe to our monthly newsletter where we will announce other events and topical career and business articles, videos and more!

 

 

 

 

 

With Christmas round the corner and the realisation that another year is over, families will be getting together recounting the year gone by and looking ahead to 2018. Christmas also affords some time to reflect on aspirations – personally and professionally. Many try and quit bad habits. A lot vow to keep attending that expensive gym beyond the first week of January! (Guilty!)

The holidays are a prime time for a lot of people to take stock of their lives and often their careers. How many of us are truly 100% happy in our job? Maybe that promised payrise hasn’t materialised AGAIN.. Or maybe the promise of flexible working has been pushed to one side too many times. Perhaps the realisation that actually promotion opportunities won’t be around the corner as you were told on interview? A lot of us spend more time at work than with our children, husbands and wives. Surely we deserve to be happy?  Surely everyone deserves to work in a business where their emotional wellbeing and personal development count and not just profits?

If you find yourself pondering any of the above the team here at Astute would be delighted to offer some impartial and completely confidential support and advice. Often it is not just about changing job but actually communication and letting your supervisor/ Finance Director/ Managing Director know you are unhappy? The examples above are genuine cited from many an accountant, credit controller, administrator and more as frustrations.

Sometimes no matter what you do or say – the situation doesn’t change and you are left in a position where you are feeling frustrated and unappreciated. If that’s the case, its great to reach out and speak to a third party who will be able to give you some impartial and constructive advice-  Particularly if you have been in one job for a long time.

So – this Christmas – enjoy a glass (or two) of wine, embrace the warmth of loved ones, but also take a moment to think about your own goals and aspirations for the forthcoming 12 months. Then come January – reach out and do something positive to make 2018 a truly memorable year for you and your families.

hffk

The latest employment trends for accountants
The latest Employment Trends for Accountants

As recently published by the REC, some interesting information emerged about the current job market and in particular for the Accountancy sector, candidates looking for their next job and for employers looking to recruit.

 

The key takeaways were: –

  • Permanent placements rise at weakest pace for five months…
  • Growth in temporary billings levelled off slightly
  • Lack of qualified Candidates fuels wage rises

 

Summary:
The recently publishesd IHS Markit/REC Report on Jobs, provides the most exhaustive snapshot of the UK’s labour market, using real data from Recruitment businesses nationally. Snippets from the report follow below: –

“Permanent placements growth weakens to five-month low…

Permanent staff placements rose at the softest pace since April at the end of the third quarter. That said, the rate of growth remained marked overall. Temp billings meanwhile rose sharply, despite also seeing pace of expansion moderate from the previous month.

…as availability of candidates continues to fall sharply

A key factor weighing on growth in staff appointments was a further steep decline in candidate availability. For permanent candidates, the latest fall was the sharpest for four months, while the availability of temporary workers also fell at a historically marked pace.

Further steep increase in demand for staff.

The number of job vacancies across the UK continued to rise sharply during September, with growth of staff demand edging down only slightly from August’s recent peak.

Pay pressures remain sharp.
Strong demand for staff and a further drop in candidate availability placed further upward pressure on pay during September. Permanent starting salaries rose at the second-steepest rate in 22 months (after August), while temp pay growth softened only slightly from August’s 16-month record.

Regional variation
On a regional basis, growth of permanent placements was the most marked in the Midlands and the South of England. London meanwhile signalled a renewed drop in permanent placements (albeit marginal).
The quickest rate of temp billings growth was seen in Scotland, closely followed by the North of England. The weakest upturn was registered in London.

Sector variation

Latest data signalled that demand growth remained considerably stronger in the private sector than the public sector.
The sharpest overall increase in demand for staff was recorded for permanent workers in the private sector, while the weakest rise in staff vacancies was seen for permanent public sector workers.

Accounting/Financial was the most sought-after category for permanent staff in September, followed by IT & Computing. The slowest (albeit still marked) increase in vacancies was reported for Construction.  

Blue Collar achieved first place in the rankings for temporary/contract staff demand during September, while Nursing/Medical/Care scored second place. All remaining categories also saw steep increases in demand.

Kevin Green, REC Chief Executive, says:
“Recruiters are finding it even harder to find people to fill vacancies. Candidate availability has been falling for the past four years and the record high UK employment rate plus a slowdown in the number of EU nationals coming to work here is exacerbating the situation, potentially leaving roles unfilled. 
“Across the UK permanent placements are slowing, but London is faring worse with placements declining for the first time in eleven months and the financial sector in particular struggling to recruit for roles such as audit, payroll and risk. 
  
“Low-skill roles are also hard to fill in areas like food processing, warehouses and catering – sectors that employ a higher proportion of people from the EU than others across the economy. We urge the government to ensure any new immigration system includes provisions for low-skilled and temporary workers so that warehouses, supermarkets and restaurants can access the people they desperately need.”

How to inspire potential new hires to work in your team
How to inspire potential new hires to work for your team

Employee Benefits & Initiatives – ‘Creating Desire in your Hires and existing team’

We asked several HR Managers, CFO’s and Financial Directors, if they would be interested in us providing guidance and advice around employee benefits and staff initiatives.

The aim?

To improve candidate attraction throughout the hiring process and also to appeal to existing valued staff.

We thought we would share this information as the feedback has been so positive…..

We now have a deeply competitive job market – not just in Derbyshire but across the East Midlands and beyond.

Employee benefits and initiatives have become increasingly important to employers looking to attract top local talented professionals and for employees as part of their decision making process when choosing whether to accept a job or not. Increasingly people looking for a new job are not just thinking of the basic salary but the overall package a future employer can offer that fit in with their own life, family and commitments. Employee Benefits have also become a key issue  in terms of improving staff retention for employers.

This is particularly important when employers are either seeking to retain specific, valued, sector trained staff across disciplines including accountancy, marketing, engineering etc. and to attract those with key talents into their business and not into the arms of one of their competitors!

 

The important key trends in benefit provision for employees are now focussed on: –

  • Flexible working
  • Pensions
  • Holiday entitlement
  • Flexible Benefits Package
  • Staff Discounts
  • Childcare Vouchers
  • Wellness at work – including employer’s attitudes to mental health and environmental factors
  • Staff incentives/ initiatives

 

Flexible working  –   If companies can offer core hours of working with the employee able to gear the extra hours to make up the full working week either before the core hours or after are particularly popular. For instance, staff being able to work 7-4, 8-5, 9-6.

Pensions  –  While changes to UK Pension policy for businesses and business owners through auto-enrolment have been established, many companies just offer the standard minimum allowances.  If a business can offer a tiered scheme according to seniority of position and longevity of service to their staff this is a real consideration in the employee market place for staff looking for a new role and for those deciding whether to stay with their existing employer.

Holiday Entitlement  –  The norm is now 25 days plus Annual Statutory Bank Holidays with an increasing amount of companies offering up to 30 days tiered according to longevity of service of staff and seniority of position.

Flexible Benefits Package  –  Whereby an employee is given a ‘benefit pot’ worth a certain amount of money whereby additional holidays can be purchased at the expense of one of the other benefits to suit that person’s individual circumstances.

Staff Discounts  –  Whereby the business is able to offer discounts on their own products or services to staff (e.g. several major East Midlands retailers offer significant staff discounts off the standard retail price of their products!). Alternatively companies can use the services of businesses specifically able to provide employee discounts from leisure/ retail outlets.

Childcare vouchers  –  For any employees with families this is a really big consideration and if employers are able to offer this – particularly to staff with very young children this is a major consideration for staff looking for work and also those currently employed.

Wellness at work  –  If companies/ employers are able to demonstrate their ability to recognise, reward and genuinely value their hardworking staff through awards, personal development plans, financial support with professional training costs – all of these count enormously. Along-side these are demonstration of softer benefits such as provision of a clean, friendly and safe environment for staff to work. Many businesses include staff areas where staff can have their lunch, rest and relax. Some businesses have games facilities for instance. Mental health at work for employees is also increasingly important. Have a policy on how to support your staff if they should have any mental health worries or concerns and promote this! Sometimes it is just having an empathetic but responsible ear in the business environment who staff know they can turn to confidentially which can make all the difference.

A working example of the staff benefits currently offered to a major overseas Parent company with wholly owned UK Subsidiaries / SME hubs in the East Midlands is included below: –

  • 25 days’ holiday plus statutory bank holidays
  • Subsidised canteen
  • Standard 35 hour working week* Extra hours need to be worked during busy periods
  • Flexible working (depending grade of role and the department – i.e. certain staff have to provide office cover between 8.30- 9. 30. For management graded roles – (i.e. usually for  fully qualified accountants) – there would normally be flexible working with the core hours between 10am-4pm. In certain finance departments most staff work 9-5 but they would still have to have the cover in the department for the 30 minutes each side of that on a rota basis.
  • Company Pension Scheme (employer contributions tiered from 5% to 7% depending on the seniority of the employee) – staff can match these contributions up to 1% below the employer’s contributions. Defined benefit schemes are popular in this regard but increasingly rare. If your business can offer a pension scheme above the statutory minimum you will really stand out.
  • Company bonus scheme (awarded according to the company’s performance and the employee’s achievement of KPIs). For more senior staff, bonus is a higher percentage (say 10% of salary) with their personal KPI’s / performance making up to 50% of the overall bonus awarded as they are likely to contribute more to the business’ profitability on a per capita basis.
  • Staff discounts on own brands (where applicable) or offering other retailer discounts/ gym membership etc.
  • Car Allowances – for Financial Controller/ Finance Director and management positions in general – car allowances are increasingly favoured by potential employees as part of the overall benefits package – particularly as they would receive any car allowance on a monthly basis in addition to their salary. Typically car allowance schemes are between £5,000 – £8,000 per annum with Executive / Director positions usually offering £10,000 – £12,000 per annum.
  • Ability to purchase extra benefits: Some employers will have a scheme in place whereby staff are able to purchase additional holidays up to one week’s worth. Alternatively on a salary sacrifice basis they would be able to purchase additional pension or other benefits to suit their specific needs.
  • Free Car parking
  • For finance staff,  the 6-week period after year-end can mean accounts staff are expected to work significant extra hours to help while the post year-end audit work is completed and statutory filings / shareholder information is processed and published. After that period, it is acknowledged that if there are any significant extra hours required, then time off in lieu can be issued at the line managers discretion.

 

For many SME businesses, not all or even most of the core key benefits will be practical. If an employer can incorporate just some of these to their existing benefits package, it is proven to be a valuable consideration to existing staff assessing their future with their employer and for employers looking to attract the best local talent available.

 

Alternatively – what initiatives can your SME business offer to staff that won’t impact on the day to day but increase productivity, performance and profits?

Some initiatives needn’t cost a lot of money AND can be tailored to your own SME business where some of the above more ‘corporate’ benefits would not be possible.

The key is demonstrating and promoting to your team and to new potential staff, that they matter and harnessing that team spirit.

At Astute we have our Reward Board – envelopes with numbers pinned to a board! The numbers correspond to certain tasks individuals need to achieve – be it a testimonial, client visit or placement. Once one of the team has achieved the ‘task’ they choose one of the numbered envelopes and write their name on that envelope. Once all the envelopes are ‘claimed’ we have an opening ceremony. The team are allocated their envelopes and open them. Prizes include starting later, retail discounts, early finish on a Friday and more!

We are also very careful to ensure that the ‘tasks’ are for everyone so our brilliant admin team can also take part and have their own ‘goals’ to achieve. If you are going to have a team scheme like the Reward Board – you need to ensure that EVERYONE is included and can take part!

So, inspire desire in YOUR business for potential hires and existing staff by thinking about how you can add value to your benefits scheme and team initiatives.

Your future and existing staff will thank you!