On Friday 24 September we closed our offices and took the entire team to China Fleet Country Club, to enjoy a day of fun activities followed by an evening event with a live band and a free bar. It was brilliant to be able to do all those things we took for granted before Covid, and to celebrate the success of the team and the firm, and to let of steam and have fun together.
At the event we also outlined some of the ways we plan to evolve the business in light of the lessons learned from the last 18 months.
Many of our team enjoyed working from home during the lockdown periods, but they missed the collaboration and enjoyment of working side by side with colleagues. Whilst many firms appear to see a future of predominantly home working, we think this misses out on the positive benefits of working together in a team, and makes it a little harder to deliver the great service to clients that has been our hallmark for over 30 years.
We know that people learn and develop their skills better when they are in the same building and can hear and absorb knowledge and experience from others. We know that not everyone has the luxury of a home office and that working in the spare room or at the dining room table, can make work and home hard to separate. And we also know that people just like to work together and have fun together. In addition, we just don’t have the kind of clients that can be looked after remotely with the occasional e-mail or zoom call. Most are large, complex businesses that want advisors that understand them, their ambitious and concerns, not the standard “here are your accounts, see you in 12 months”.
However, we also know that the days of 40 hour weeks stuck in a city office are gone.
So at the event we announced a number of steps to get the best of all worlds…
- A return to flexitime working arrangements for the whole team.
- A continuation of a blend of home and office based working
- A reduction in our working hours to 35pw, for the same pay
- As part of the reduced hours plan, every other Friday afternoon off.
We also shared plans for further recruitment to ensure we have the hours available to continue to serve our clients well, and more investment in technology to provide the tools for the team to work more efficiently and effectively.
So if there is anyone out there that wants to work in an expanding firm with a great team, great clients and great work, where we strive hard to provide a working environment with great benefits, give us a call on 01752 220979 or register your interest.
