This week marks the 3 year anniversary of Boris Johnson standing behind that podium that became far too familiar to all of us, and sharing those shocking words;
‘From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.’
The days have been long but those years have been short and as we’ve all slowly recovered from a global trauma, we wanted to mark the anniversary by asking candidates to reflect on how COVID 19 has impacted their career trajectory.
Now, the accounting sector faired a little differently from most industries when lockdown was announced. Overnight, supermarket workers, delivery drivers, carers and obviously doctors and nurses became front line heroes as those of us whose roles were not deemed essential, had to adapt in days to working from home alongside our families or in some cases, alone.
We’re sure that accountants learned an awful lot about their employers during this time, including whether their firm was resilient, agile, technically prepared and much more! Those firms who quickly adapted to the realisation that all their staff needed to be productive was a laptop and an internet connection were able to restore business as usual with minimal fuss and get on with the key business of supporting their clients to adapt and remain trading in this time of crisis.
And as the days rolled into weeks and the weeks rolled into months, what we all hoped would be a temporary blip in life as we knew it, became our new normal. And the words ‘next slide please’ became the foundations on which the memes circulating the internet were centered upon.
But now, three years on, most, if not all aspects of life have returned to some semblance of normal. With one notable exception. Our careers.
Here’s a few examples of trends noted in public practice that you may well have been a part of.
Women bore the brunt.
Ah yes, that old chestnut.
As children were sent home from school, national trends showed that it was predominantly mothers who stepped into the role of teacher, dinner lady, playground supervisor and cleaner. And that meant that many female accountants stepped back from their roles either opting to be amongst the thousands who were temporarily furloughed or in extreme cases stepping back from their careers all together.
But the great news for public practice is that female accountants have made a comeback and we’ve been thrilled to place some super talented women back into public practice. If you’re a female accountant thinking about dipping your toe back into the water, know that your skills are in demand and that we won’t stand for any gender bias and will secure you a winning offer in line with what your male counterparts are demanding!
Accountants retired at pace.
If retirement had been on the near horizon for senior leaders in practice, you can bet your bottom dollar that the pandemic accelerated the desire for Partners and Directors approaching their golden years to make their exit.
Some of those who took a break from practice have returned, but not all.
Many learned to love the flexibility of working at home and were not prepared to give it up.
And this has meant that those firms who have been able to retain remote or hybrid working are reaping the rewards when it comes to retaining loyal employees or attracting new ones.
The skills shortage has worsened.
Pre-pandemic, we were experiencing the impact of a shortage of skills in accounting (particularly in audit), post pandemic – your skills are in HUGE demand.
And finally our cost of living as employees has soared.
Literally, like an eagle. Like an angry eagle that’s just had to spend £7 on a tub of Lurpak!
So where are we now?
You know how the pandemic impacted your personal situation, some of us will have more lingering trauma than others, but we will all have been irrevocably impacted.
But as the experts in the niche sector of public practice recruitment, we’re perfectly placed to summarise the impact of lockdown and the global pandemic on its three year anniversary.
“For accountants, the biggest impact is on your employability and your worth. Right now we can state categorically that if you’ve not received a pay rise in the last six months, we can secure you an additional financial reward of between 15 and 35% on your like for like role. If you’re ready to step into the next level of your career it will be even more. And it’s not just about the money. We can find you additional wellbeing benefits, flexibility over where and when you work and we’ll work hard to cater for additional needs that are unique to your personal situation.”
Garry Howling, MD
There has never, in the history of recruitment in accountancy practice, ever been a better time to propel your career and rewards upwards. That’s your post pandemic trajectory and we would be delighted to help you achieve it, so contact us today to get the ball rolling.
And if you’re keen to see a few of the job highlights that we currently have on offer, here’s this week’s hot jobs. You’ll find plenty more on our jobs board.
Senior Tax Manager on a fully remote basis.
