The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 77: Autumn 2025 | Page 26

PEOPLE
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Caring for the team takes care of business

By Sally Holland who is a partner with PPS Accountants based in Old Town, Swindon offering a full suite of holistic services for businesses both large and small. The team is 16 strong, including four partners and looking to grow.
We believe the way in which we treat our team carries through into the way we treat our clients – with caring and respect.
At PPS, we trust our team. We believe in giving people the space to take ownership of their role, manage their time effectively and deliver their best without the need for micromanagement.
We all understand our professional roles need to be fulfilled but that we also have other important roles in our lives which might include being a partner, a parent or even a carer.
All of our staff participate in Continuous Professional Development as a matter of course as that’ s the nature of accountancy. We have to keep abreast of the law, compliance and changes brought about by legislation or national policy. We are in one area of business which changes frequently.
We don’ t stop at this. If a staff member asks for training in other areas of the business that they’ d like to know more about – and possibly
move in that direction then we will always look at that. One of our team members originally joined us in payroll but expressed an interest in bookkeeping. By supporting her with the right training we not only helped her grow but also strengthened the service we provide to our clients.
We offer all of our team flexible working and over 80 % of our staff take this up. This means they can be working from home rather than in the office or changing their hours / days slightly for various reasons. Not everyone takes up the flexibility of working from home as some prefer the structure of being in the office full time, and that’ s equally valued.
One of our team, Emma Dreano, is French and often travels to France in the summer and will work from there for a few weeks so she can be with her family. Emma works remotely while she’ s there, so there’ s no need for her to take holiday, it’ s simply a change of location and allows Emma to enjoy family time while
still giving clients the continuity and care they expect. Emms is celebrating 10 years with us this September, a testament to the loyalty and consistency our clients value in our team.
“ What I value the most is work flexibility alongside a good team spirit. PPS is a great company to work for, with a brilliant team and everyone is always keen to push each other so that we all grow professionally,” Emma said.
At PPS we do have several social events to support team cohesion and to get to know each other outside of a work environment. Our annual summer BBQ is a highlight of the year, a relaxed get-together where team members and their families can enjoy time together. At the other end of the year our Christmas celebration is another highlight, a moment for the team to come together and close the year on a positive note. It’ s not only the big moments we celebrate, we also make space for smaller spontaneous moments like takeaway lunches together, just for the enjoyment of it.
Giving back is a core value for us. We run a charity business breakfast three times a year, bringing together clients and business owners across Swindon. Each event highlights a charity or community project, with additional funds raised through a raffle on the day.
We also take part, every May in a‘ Steps’ Challenge which staff take part in for their own fitness and also for charity. This year we raised money for a young Swindon charity Best Mates.
Any member of the team can share an idea or a suggestion about things we can do to empower us all as a team and enrich our culture. One small thing was a request for branded hoodies – and we now each have a purple branded PPS hoodie!
From small suggestions to bigger initiatives, what matters is that every voice shapes the culture we’ re building together.
To find out more about PPS visit: www. ppsacc. co. uk

BUILDING A LOYAL TEAM STEP BY STEP

Entrepreneur Dave Southby started his financial planning consultancy almost four years ago from his home office.
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Today his small team are award-winning, community-focused have moved through two offices and have raised £ 1000s for local charities and community projects. For Dave, building a team also means building a culture.
“ I have strong feelings about my company and how I wish clients to feel and my team to feel – I want them to come to work feeling supported and empowered. I knew from the outset I wanted to grow my business and I’ m pleased to have done so to date – yet no one can do that without support and having the right people around you. This relates to staff, suppliers and business friends too.”
Dave believes that the value of giving back to the community has already paid dividends in terms of making his small business an attractive employer during its first phase of growth.
“ It’ s already been a fantastic tool for recruitment as we found people want to part of what we are building. We’ ve recently recruited an apprentice and we know from the conversations with applicants this was, for some of them, a key factor in applying for the role.”
Dave, who now has a team of five, believes that a good employer must think beyond salary.
“ I believe it’ s not just about the money. I believe this with clients too – it’ s as much about understanding their needs and their dreams as it is about ensuring their money works hard for them.
“ In the team, we carry out several volunteering days, plus various events and staff days out. We all find it incredibly rewarding when we get out of the usual office routine.
“ I also believe it’ s important to offer a clear career development path including being able to complete professional qualifications.
“ At the moment four out of five of us are currently working towards a qualification – this not only increases our professional standards but also how team members feel valued. We will always encourage people to achieve the most they can, and we will support them every step of the way.”
Another key area for Dave is apprenticeships and not just for school leavers.
“ Neil, who is our practice administrator, is currently completing a level 4 Paraplanning Apprenticeship and he was 47 when he started it. Apprenticeships offer a qualification alongside structure and support, something which can be hard to do consistently as a business owner. For me this has proved so beneficial to the business and also to Neil personally.
“ Ever since I took on my first employee, I have always encouraged them to get involved with strategic decisions and future recruitment.
“ Just because I’ m the founder doesn’ t mean I know everything – it’ s great to have other opinions with different viewpoints and to build our future as a team.”
“ I have strong feelings about my company and how I wish clients to feel and my team to feel – I want them to come to work feeling supported and empowered.”
To find out more about Southby & Co visit: www. southbyfp. co. uk or call: 01793 953800
14 www. tbeswindonandwilts. co. uk