The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 23: Spring 2022 | Page 26

PEOPLE

Debbie Boulton becomes Richardson Swift ' s first MD

Bath-based accountancy firm Richardson Swift has announced the appointment of its first Managing Director .
Debbie Boulton , who has been a Director of the firm for seven years , took over the new role in January this year . The firm ’ s Co-Founder and her fellow Director Derek Swift said the decision to appoint Debbie had been unanimous among board members .
Derek , said , “ When I first founded the business with Mike Richardson there were only six employees , but it has expanded rapidly over the years and the time has come to have someone in charge who can build on its success and guide it in a more strategic direction .
“ Having worked closely with Debbie , we all felt she had the skills we need , and we are delighted that she has agreed to take on the role .”
The company in Laura Place was founded in 2009 . It now employs staff of around 40 and last year acquired
Chartered Tax Adviser status in addition to being Chartered Accountants .
The company has a mix of private and corporate clients . Its directors have a broad range of expertise and pride themselves on working collaboratively with their clients to provide innovative tax solutions .
Debbie joined Richardson Swift in
March 2013 , having previously worked for Bishop Fleming and Target Chartered Accountants . As well as her new Managing Director role , Debbie also leads Richardson Swift ’ s client advisory team and will continue to work closely with clients .
Debbie , said , “ Since the announcement was made , I ’ ve been overwhelmed by the support from the local business community . I received so many lovely messages wishing me well , thank you to all the people who took the time to get in touch .
" The best bit of my job is working with growing , aspirational businesses "
“ The best bit of my job is working with growing , aspirational businesses , helping them to achieve their business and personal financial goals , and becoming a key part of their business . I am looking forward to overseeing the exciting developments we have planned at RS in the next year and beyond .
" I ’ ve started the role by bringing in a ’ 90 day plan ’ – this details a few areas that I ’ m working on over the next few months which is very visible to the team and which makes me accountable for what we ’ re going to achieve . One of the items on the first 90-day plan is the office refurbishment . I ’ m keen to bring the RS office online with the new way of working , so bringing in areas for team collaboration and pods to make Zoom calls , as well as to give the offices an overall refresh so the team enjoy their working environment ."

Why can ' t I recruit ? by Dan Barfoot , CMD Recruitment

This is a question I am being asked more and more by companies coming to us after they have advertised and tried to recruit for themselves . Whilst I am no magician , after 18 years in the industry here are a few things which may help you recruit better when using a recruitment agency .
There are currently 1.2 million open jobs across the UK , and all the main job boards are battling it out to justify their costs . Any agency should have more reach than your direct advert , but depending on your relationship with them you may not be top of their client list .
Key things to remember when using an agency
1 . Brief them properly . Invite your agency onsite and introduce them to your line managers . A working relationship means understanding your people and what you do . This will result in the agency being able to select the right team fit first time and also be able to have open and honest conversations .
2 . Don ’ t fling your role out to five agencies at the same time with a BCC no name email , as being honest , the level of interest you will get back will be minimal . Recruitment shouldn ’ t be about fastest finger first . It should be about a proper process and candidates being sent across properly briefed after an agency has spent time with them discussing the vacancy .
3 . Your job advert or JD needs to give as much information as possible as too many TBCs puts people off straight away . Be transparent from the start .
4 . Structure your processes and ask advice from recruiters as to what other people are doing . If your process is going to take a month and you ’ re in a competitive market , then your local competitors will be onboarding the staff you ’ ve lost out on .
5 . Be consistent with feedback to the agency , be on time and move at pace . Perhaps someone doesn ’ t match the current vacancy but could be ok for a role down the line . That candidate will remember your recruitment experience and no matter what Glassdoor reviews and testimonials you have it ’ s about the here and now .
6 . No one has a pool of staff waiting for that phone call each morning to see if they can work , so remember this when planning temps . With temps in short supply , look at your forecast of workload and what you can offer . With NI contributions going up in April this pool will be getting smaller and it ’ s about what you can offer .
7 . Don ’ t begrudge the cost of using an agency but see it as an investment . Yes , sometimes things don ’ t work out but , in a candidate , driven market the impact of you doing it yourself could massively affect your team and productivity . Always remember no one works for free !
Remember that agencies owners do speak to each other . I , myself have good relationships with some of my competitors and I ’ m also happy to recommend someone who may be better suited to helping you recruit as we believe in doing what we do and do it well .
If you are struggling to recruit , I ’ d be happy to offer some free advice , so please do get in touch .
info @ cmdrecruitment . com 01225 805080
14 www . tbebathandsomerset . co . uk