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DEFINING A DECADE
A DECADE OF POSITIVE CHANGE FOR HAINES WATTS SWINDON
The last ten years have been a decade of positive change and growth for the team at Haines Watts Swindon . Here are the thoughts of managing partner Mike Lloyd .
Well , it has been quite a decade . Ten years ago , who would have believed that we would have had to endure a pandemic , a terrible war in Europe and recession combined with galloping inflation and high interest rates . It is a testament to human determination that we are fighting our way through .
I joined Haines Watts on 1 April 1995 and over the following 28 years I have seen the business grow consistently from year to year . In particular , over the last ten years I have seen that growth speed up and the range of services expand .
Growth and expansion come , of course , with their own challenges , particularly in a world where human resource is becoming harder to find for professional ( and many other ) businesses . But I am very proud of what we have achieved and the breadth of service that we are able to provide to our fantastic clients .
Businesses need to grow . You never really stand still . You go forwards or you go backwards !
There are many reasons why our business has achieved successful expansion and the following are just a few examples :
Embracing marketing – more than ever the team sees this as important and has embraced this in a more consistent manner including employing a team member responsible for overall marketing at a local and regional level and having a consistent PR strategy .
Giving back – Whilst not directly a growth enabler , supporting charity events which are important and meaningful because we all need to give something back . Over the past decade we have worked with Wrag Barn to fundraise for Hft ( supporting adults with learning disabilities ); fundraised for the Swindon Christmas Toy Appeal and sponsored a netball pitch to support a team member ’ s friend who is battling cancer . We have also supported Prospect Hospice with donations over many years .
Proactive Outreach – the team have embraced engaging more proactively with the community as part of our giving back . Attending careers fairs and days and giving talks and insights on the profession and the firm to students at the local schools and colleges is now very much part of our younger management team members ’ professional life .
Winning awards - such as the Accountancy Firm of the Year at the FD ’ s Excellence Awards several years in a row and being a silver medal winner in the UK Employee Experience Awards which is a testimony to the quality of the brand and our approach to our team .
Growing investment in staff – there has been consistent and continued recruitment over the last decade as new clients have elected to work with us . The team has now grown to 22 . We have also embraced the apprenticeship schemes and most of our trainees are now on apprenticeships which has been a huge success .
Taking wellbeing seriously – understanding that this is more important than ever from little steps like ensuring all of our lighting has been changed to ‘ natural light ’ to larger projects such as totally redecorating the office to ensure the premises feels light and modern . Most importantly though , supporting team members through difficulties or crises – which may have nothing to do with their role – and listening to their needs .
More inclusion of team members in strategic decisions – this can be a game changer in that it ensures the team knows the direction of travel and that they can have a say in that direction . We have expanded our management team to seven and encourage the whole team to feedback their ideas .
Opportunities to be social – having social time together as a team is more important than ever , particularly after the pandemic when this was not possible . We indulge in team away days , both locally and regionally and also create ‘ micro celebrations ’ such as always marking a team member ’ s birthday or their personal milestones such as engagements , weddings , successful qualifications and long service . Regular nights out are also a popular feature ( but not on a school night !)
Ensuring pathways for continuous professional development – staff rarely want to stand still . They want to grow in their own careers and this is something that Haines Watts Swindon offers . As well as external recruitment at senior levels we are keen to promote from the ranks where team members show that they are prepared to “ go the extra mile ” to cement a future career .
If a business relationship or a career with us sounds attractive , please contact the team at Haines Watts Swindon . Here ’ s to the next successful 10 years !
Nationally , Haines Watts is a top 15 firm of Chartered Accountants and was named Accountancy Firm of the Year 2020 in the FDs ’ excellence awards . In 2021 the company was named as one of the UK ’ s Top Ten accountancy practices to work for after investing in staff wellbeing , cultural development and mindfulness support across the pandemic .
Email : swindon @ hwca . com Call : 01793 533838
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2023 27