Blog

02 | 08 | 2018

Inside Sewell Wallis - Faith Collins

Faith Collins is one of our Senior Consultants and has worked for Sewell Wallis for over three years, specialising in newly qualified accountancy positions. Faith started at Sewell Wallis as a Resourcer in June 2015 and was promoted to Senior Recruitment consultant two years after. Faith isn’t a newbie to recruitment, having previously resourced for call centre staff in her previous role, but she still had a lot to learn to before she became the recruiter she is today. Faith wanted to develop and challenge herself and she didn’t feel like she could achieve this without moving and focusing on her career, and that’s when Kayley Haythornthwaite took Faith under her wing and saw her true potential, with Faith wanting to deal with a higher calibre of candidates and clientele she took off in her race to progress within her role, as she developed and achieved higher and higher targets she set for herself we saw a ‘superstar’ recruiter born. With the nourishment and support that was given by the whole team she flourished into the recruiter we know today. This year so far Faith has made it into our high achievers' club and it looks like she will be there again in our second quarter.  “Since working at Sewell Wallis we have been so successful over the years and the amount of money we’ve made as a team is absolutely phenomenal, which makes me so excited to see what there is planned for us as a business. Our five-year expansion plan is nail-biting and I’m looking forward to meeting all the new members of the team and to see them progress, growth and develop as I did.” - Faith Collins Working in our Sheffield office means Faith doesn’t really get to see both teams, but she has noticed when we are all together we are “oriented and family like,” Faith continued “you can tell that everyone cares about each other, and how much everyone would help other members of the team. With constant training and support given by the senior management team and others in the business, you can see precisely why Faith has been so motivated to continue her development at Sewell Wallis. Faith love to socialise with her team inside and outside of work and is often found going out for food, nights out and general socialising to promote company ethos and culture. Without Faith, Sewell Wallis would be missing a link. If you are eager to start your career in recruitment or move just like Faith? Then contact us today: enquiries@sewellwallis.co.uk | 0113 242 1200 | 0114 268 3313

23 | 07 | 2018

How will we fix the gender pay gap in the charity sector?

Equality, diversity and gender issues within the workplace have never been so topical. With the average median of the gender pay gap being 18.4% in the voluntary sector and 5.4% overall in the UK, there is still quite a long way to go before we start seeing significant economic growth. Big charities such as PDSA and Marie Stops have pay gaps that are above 35% - Guardian analysists find. Within the charity sector, there are massive pay gaps between men and women, almost three out of four companies pay their female employees less than their male employees. Oxfam a Catholic founded charity (Est 1958) that relies on volunteers (20,000+) and partners to help with their global cause have very strong economic values when it comes to the gender pay gap, they have recently published a document that has a range of commitments they would like to address themselves when tackling this issue – their current gap stands at 12.5% with the global average in the voluntary sector being 18.4%. Today’s current rate of progress in tackling the gap between men and women could take approximately 170 years to close the difference in the overall global economy -  this figure is much larger than 2017’s prediction, meaning economic inequality between men and women has reverted back to figures last seen in 2008. Research conducted in 2017 has shown that if our global economy tackled the injustice of the gender pay gap throughout all sectors, there would be an additional £12trillion added to the global economy each year. With this in mind we still do have a long way to go, but taking small steps and focusing on the divide between men and women in professional environments will help increase the influx between their salary bands. Skills, training and personal development is a great place to start and offering individuals the chance to improve themselves and progress in their careers will help close the gap even more. One of Oxfam’s commitments is to work towards a 50:50 women in Leadership Teams, with the aim to maintain their female representation of 35% - 65%. Most employers don’t utilise their female employees’ academic achievements, talents and experience effectively. If we equalised women’s productivity and participation rates we could see a significant impact to our economy, the increase in transparency around gender pay will affect company’s policies and practices, promoting gender equality throughout the workplace. Back in 2017 the world was hit by the #MeToo and #Time’sUp movement, one of the biggest gender equality trends to ever hit social media, erupting from the exploitation of women within the charity sector, with over two thirds of charity/voluntary organisation’s employees being women it struck hard blows into how women are treated in the workplace.    With structural causes of the gender pay gap creating different variations in multiple industries, we need to benchmark with others to help highlight the benefits and disadvantages in our practices, to help encourage the best route to take. Encouraging research and commentating in this area will help us understand the causes of gaps and how we can effectively address them, keeping this issue in the spotlight of mainstream media will help employers prioritise the actions we need to take. A few extra steps: Let’s close the gap Publication of gender pay Analysing data and company internal structures to understand the gender pay gap Begin to implement different actions that will improve gender equality in the workplace Introducing enhanced, shared parental pay for partners, which can be aimed at encouraging more men/partners to take time off for child caring responsibilities Ensuring diversity and equality amongst development courses Committing to developing workable regulations that increase gender pay transparency will benefit not just employers but their employees’ attitudes towards workplace equality, with aims to improve the gender pay gap year on year we will hopefully see a significant difference in all sectors. We will be the change that we wish to see in the world.

19 | 06 | 2018

Work-life Balance: Flexitime

Nearly all working professional would agree it can sometimes be hard to find a healthy work-life balance, especially in today's 24/7 ‘always on' culture world. Health and well-being is a massive topic within the workplace and finding a healthy work-life balance is hard, but when you love your job it's hard to just cut off from your responsibilities, lots of people would rather stay productive so business thrives than just dropping everything. "Leave work at work" – has to be the most repeated phrase that has ever existed within the professional industry, with always expressing the same preach “you need to start taking steps back from your normal daily routine to reduce your stress levels, and to help you think more clearly about tough decisions” can and is quite patronising. There isn't anything wrong with working hard and achieving what you have set out to achieve, but knowing your limit is important, and this is what others are trying to get across to the wider professional community. With the amount of negative stigma that has surfaced recently about employee health and well-being in the workplace, and recent studies showing the different benefits to improve your teams health, a whole variety of professions have been now implemented different ways to promote this within their workplace, focusing on a percentage of the working population shouldn't be justification employers need to have a vibrant, motivating working environment. Employers are now offering us as employees a healthier work-life balance, but are we using these benefits to our advantage? With most working professionals enjoying what they do and sharing their achievements outside of work already is emotionally uplifting and shows that they care about our jobs. So, with that in mind employers are finding it harder to think of benefits they can offer their employees. As working professionals there are lots of assumptions being made that we are more stressed than ever before, all because we have the occasional rant about; how our boss made us pull our hair out again and how Helen from HR broke the printer again, is called being human…we do get ourselves worked up, stressed and lost in a minefield of our own thoughts. It's just human nature. With more benefits being offered too us, there are tons of ways we all could tailor a work-life balance to fit our personal needs, and over the past few years, more companies are helping employees achieve this by offering different packages, schemes, incentives and targets. Flexitime: allows employees to work a set number of hours a week, which enables them to have a more flexible approach to working lives. Flexitime benefits Staff morale and job satisfaction increases Fatigue and stress levels are reduced Satisfaction and employee production increases Other opportunities and commitments can be fit in and around work More control over employee workload Allows banked time to be used  for leisure and personal activities Childcare is more flexible with working hours Another benefit to flexitime is it gives employees the chance to avoid rush hour traffic. For employees with long commutes, any effort that means they avoid sitting in traffic is an added job perk in their eyes, meaning it will prevent them from looking for a position closer to home. Flextime allows employees to work around their lives and they can work accordingly without having to sacrifice their productivity by ‘clock watching,’ giving employees the benefit to completing personal objectives whilst working full-time allowing them to focus on their work.    

14 | 06 | 2018

Inside Sewell Wallis - Hannah Bateman

Hannah Bateman covers the transactional and junior finance sector, working on roles across the Yorkshire region.    Hannah is a high achiever that goes above and beyond, personalising each position she works on, building strong relationships with both client and candidate. Hannah’s interests include singing, baking and decorating cakes, going to the gym and spending time with family and friends.     Quick Questions If we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year it’s been for you in this role, what did we achieve together? I think it’s an achievement for other people to think you’re capable of taking on more responsibility. So as long as I’m aiming for that, I’m happy. When have you been most satisfied in your life? When I’m eating cheesy chips… Who is your role model, and why? My mum and dad – are both working parents and they have worked really hard so that me and my sister could do the things we wanted to do. What things do you not like doing? Be it professionally or personally. Being bored. I hate not having anything to do, sometimes I like having nothing to do and it’s a nice break, but I want it on my terms. What is your most significant accomplishment in your career? I’m currently smashing this quarter, which is still ongoing!! Hopefully, I will make it a lot more!!! If you could do anything, just once. What would it be? Be invisible for the day. How would your team describe you? That’s quite a hard question to answer without trying to sound big headed, I’d probably say I’m a bit of a fruit loop…a motivator, kind, supportive and willing to go the extra mile to help anyone that needs it. How would you describe your favourite colour to someone who is blind? Orange: Warm, happy, soft and welcoming. If you could speak to your 5-year-old self, what would you say? DON’T chop all of your hair off in Year 8 to look like Frankie from the Saturdays, it will take 7 years to grow back! What makes you a great recruiter? My attention to detail, the time I invest in each candidate and the strong relationships I build with the clients I work with. Life can be tricky, who or what is your biggest motivation? My family and myself – being able to do the things I want to. Whether it’s a nice holiday or a day trip out, spending money on myself and friends and family for a nice present, feels much better to have earned those things for yourself. What’s next? Onwards and upwards! At Sewell Wallis, we strive to make our working environment as comfortable as possible for each member of our team, and getting to know each person individually is amazing! Keep tuned for your next exclusive inside look into Sewell Wallis.

08 | 06 | 2018

My Work Best Friend

Typically, when people speak about their best friends you never associate them with work or that they had met them through their profession. 1 in every 3 people meet their closest friends at work Having a work best friend has great benefits for both employees and the overall business: Employees feel they are more capable taking on tasks they would usually avoid Overall employee happiness is increased Companies with happier employees have been predicted to outperform their competition by 20% Employees that have a close/best friend at work are 7x more likely to engage fully Close work, friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50% 70% of employees say, having friends at work is the most crucial element to a happy working life "We don’t really have work best friends, but we can definitely say we are quite close as a team. By working with people, we are close to inside and outside the business is a lot more motivating and not as stressful – we’re always having a laugh, but we’re still getting our work done, working in a more professional and corporate working environment can be challenging at times and if you don’t have some kind of friendship with who you work with it can be harder. It doesn’t have to be professional and, in your face, corporate the whole time, but knowing when to be professional is a must when dealing with clients, candidates, senior members of the team and other external services. On the contrary, we do think a lot of people would enjoy working in their current job a lot more if they’re working with a team that creates a relaxed environment." – Popular Opinion A staggering 58% of men would refuse a higher paying job if it meant not getting along with co-workers and 74% of women said the same. A study has shown that employees who are happier at work are 20% more productive, and when it comes to sales teams promoting a happier environment can raise their overall sales by 37%. Employees that work with a best friend are 1.4x more likely to have received praise in the last seven days and are 1.3x more open to receiving feedback about their progress within their role over the last six months. With employees being more open to receiving feedback and having a more motivated outlook towards their work, they are benefiting more from personal development support given by their employers, with more employees saying they have extra opportunities to do their best every day and are feeling more appreciated by their managers. Office friendships have direct links with productivity and engagement, actively encouraging friendships in the workplace might seem you are making your team less productive because they will be chitchatting with each other but making these friendships a crucial aspect will keep your team’s motivation and productivity levels up. Too much talking can cause negative effects to any professional environment, making this undesired effect becoming detrimental to your teams’ productivity and leading to them wanting to socialise more than working. With the right balance and mixture of internal communications being more fun will improve your teams overall focus and concentration. A happy workforce is a productive workforce and here at Sewell Wallis, we strive to make our working environment as comfortable as possible for each member of our team, with regular team outings and celebrations for the great work we achieve as a team. If you’re looking for a new role within recruitment contact us today – enquiries@sewellwallis.co.uk   ​

07 | 06 | 2018

The Accountant - Technology strikes again

The financial sector has been hit with yet another technological challenge. Automation was introduced to the industry back in the early 21st century and wasn’t really seen as the “go-to” software by The Big 4 – EY, Deloitte, PWC, and KPMG. Automated technology started out as a BETA test within the industry to see if it could categories and sort complex COGSs more efficiently, but once automation evolved further it was predicted to start affecting companies hiring practices, (The Financial Times Reports) raising alarm bells throughout financial & accountancy services. According to research conducted by Frey & Osborne in The Economist’s Article back in 2014 - 47% of job categories were open to automation within the next two decades, with accountants and auditors being the second highest in terms of risk factor. Automation has now developed further but still hasn’t been significantly applied to the industry, currently being the second strategic priority after processing improvements. It has now been predicted that at least 56% of roles could be replaced. The ACCA recently argued against their own release on the subject “The Robots are Coming?” Stating that there will be a significant number of challenges when it comes to adopting robotics and automation into the financial services in general. The war is not over Accountants are now embracing the new AI technology, instead of trying to innovate themselves and working even harder, they are now using the automation software to improve the quality of their audit work; by carrying out tasks more efficiently and accurately, by doing this they are avoiding future high-profile mishaps. “Let us not forget that accountants’ roles have evolved over time; they are no longer just number crunchers. Businesses rely on their financial teams to provide strategic advice on top of compliance and cost-saving guidance.” – David Chin, Head of ACCA In the long run, automation would produce newly skilled jobs and increase adaptability, meaning the impact may not be as imminent or as severe as predicted. As long as accountants are willing to reinvent themselves by coming smarter and more open-minded to new technology presented to them in the future. Advancements in automated technology have now opened up new methods for businesses when processing data and generating insightful reports, leading to productivity improvements within many professions; reducing transactional and routine task such as data entry, bookkeeping, and compliance tasks. This has increased finance and accounting professionals overall timescales, allowing them to focus on more value-added services. At Sewell Wallis, we know that the advancements in new technology within the professional environment can be daunting, but we aim to work with our clients and candidates to ensure we all develop together. If you are looking to progress within your career or increase the diversity of skills within your team you can speak to one of our consultants about a new hire or any potential new job opportunities you are interested in, please email us.​

05 | 06 | 2018

The Art of a great Relationship - Volume 1 Communicating

Small business owners and working professionals apply most of their resources into generating new business. The biggest challenge working professionals face when it comes to new business is; building strong relationships with their clients and knowing how to interact with them on a multi-level basis. Building a strong client relationship takes time and continuous work. Most working professionals think this means they need to attend meeting after meeting, and this is where they might be going wrong. Taking clients out of their normal working environment will generate a more relaxed atmosphere and will increase the flow of conversation. Remembering that each client is unique and has to be treated differently will help you create an easy balance between excessive indulging and disingenuous schmoozing to try to win new business. “When I speak to my clients I communicate with them on different levels and on a variety of platforms. My smaller clients I will contact once a quarter by; phone, email or an informal lunch and my larger clients who have multiple decision makers prefer a more formal approach; email, LinkedIn, direct calls and internal meetings.” – Matthew Kaye The first conversation in any relationship is crucial, be it professional or not. Leveraging your brand effectively will be one of your main priorities, knowing how to sell your brand rather than ‘bragging’ about it, will show your businesses’ ethos to be more honest and trustworthy. "I go out and meet my clients to get a detailed understanding of what they are looking for, I then keep in regular contact and do what I say I am going to do. Building trust is the most important part in any client relationship; I call when I need to, send CV’s which match their criteria and I’m honest with them if I’m struggling to find the candidate they desire.” – Gemma Watmough When it comes to speaking to clients, use language that reflects your company’s ethos, this will break down the barriers of a ‘normal sales call’ and will open up the opportunity to get to know clients on a more personal level. Emphasizing who you are and how you implement this into your work will increase the trust you gain when working with your prospect clientele. Knowing how to communicate with clients is a continuous learning process, with every client interaction being different to the last, some clients will prefer a formal approach whilst others will appreciate a more informal conversation. “Before I started developing my client relationships, I did keep my personal relationships separate, but now I have a few clients and candidates that I have worked with over the past few years, I now consider them as close advisers and friends.” – Tom Beale Nowadays it’s not about how many times you can call your clients in a week, with new developments in social communication, we now can speak with them on a professional basis by using a whole variety of channels. There is no such thing as ‘over communicating,’ if you’re sharing relevant knowledge and interesting news you will never have to worry about ‘spamming’ your clients again. One out of every three emails are opened 14% of calls are answered directly without being placed on hold first Business Executives spend an average of 15 minutes on hold a day 44% of workers would rather use their computers for business communication, with 36% citing smartphones as their communication tool of choice 95% of working professionals, plan to use digital communication rather than incur the costs of face-to-face meetings At Sewell Wallis we take Candidate and Client care very seriously and developing a healthy working relationship is key for our brand and consultant. Most of our candidates we work with eventually become clients and vice versa, so having a strong professional relationship is key.

30 | 05 | 2018

Social Interaction. Modern Day Communication.

Is playing in mud, fighting with sticks and building tree houses a thing of the past? Are Smartphones, Laptops, iPads and online media the dominant forces in our social lives? Since the birth of the smartphone back in 1995, which eventually marked the evolution of the social web and mobile technology we know today. The birth of Facebook in 2004 changed the way we communicate with each other; making it faster, more efficient and less awkward. Working in an office environment means, we spend most of our days communicating through different platforms of online media to talk with; friends, family, work colleagues and clients. So why is it that we feel the need to communicate through platforms that cut-out the humanity of having an actual conversation? Embracing Change Millennials have always been subjected to different stereotypes, and having a less physical interaction is one of them. Rather than calling their friends, they would rather send a quick text, a staggering 68% of the millennial generation admits they prefer to do this. Compared to their counterparts Generation X that texts 21% less, preferring to have a face to face conversation or speak over the phone. Average Data Usage - (SIM Only Contracts) The average consumer uses 2.23GB of mobile data per month (not including Wi-Fi) By 2021 mobile data usage will increase to 45.12GB 13% - 20% of 18 to 54-year olds go over their data plan every few months 75% of people aged 55+ never use their full data package O2 released a recent study that showed telephone apps ranking as the fifth most used communication platform amongst the general public. With phones not really being used for calling anymore and the increase in the average consumer spending (two hours and fifteen minutes per day); online, texting, using social media and other forms of communication, we now have to be more aware of the advantages and disadvantages in modern day communication. Many employers have acknowledged this already and now are utilizing the ways we interact with each other online to communicate with their new and existing clients. Embracing change can be tough, especially when working with a diverse team, each individual will know a different variation in how to communicate effectively. Offering training so your team can become more transparent is key when developing in today’s vast online market. Accountants, bookkeepers, and sales-ledgers have already modernised, with most financial firms now using cloud-based software to improve their work efficiency and internal communications. Advancements and changes in the commercial world will see the desire for new skills increase. Employers will now be looking for broader skill sets when it comes to new hires; Tech Savvy – Ability to use Cloud, Digital Platforms, Social Media and software literate Social Intelligence – The ability to connect and communicate with others through direct communication to stimulate the desired interaction Media Literacy – The Ability to access or create content that uses new media forms – for example, video Transdisciplinary – The ability to understand different forms of communication across different disciplines Virtual Collaboration – Being able to work productively, engage and have a presence when working on virtual projects Emotional Intelligence – The ability to understand others’ reactions through online media platforms (Email, SMS etc.) At Sewell Wallis, we know that with the advancements in new technology and online media can make it hard to find the right candidate or role. To speak to one of our consultants about a new hire or potential new job opportunities you are interested in, please email us. 

24 | 05 | 2018

The Rise of 'Millennipreneurs"

Millennials are revolutionising UK start-ups, which shows no sign of ending any time soon – with nearly 660,000 companies being established last year, an increase from 2015 figures of 608,000. It has been predicted this year we will see the record being broken again. The Millennipreneur ‘Millennipreneurs’ is a term which started when the baby-boomers (over 50s) reached their peak, making way for their predecessors to take over, with more 20 to 35-year-olds starting their own companies, managing bigger teams and hitting higher profit margins; We can now say a new generation of entrepreneurs has arrived. Millennials are discovering their entrepreneurship a lot quicker than baby-boomers did, with the average “Millennipreneur” starting their first company by the age of 27, compared to their “older” counterparts who usually set up their first business when they were 35 years old.                                Millennials may be starting twice as many businesses than their predecessors, but they are following in their footsteps. Millennipreneur Hard worker Ethics and responsibility Making a positive difference in their workplace Bounce from job to job – never seeing anything through Baby-boomer Hard worker Place more emphasis on the “work” half of work-life balance Adaptable to new ethics and responsibilities Stay in the same job throughout their lives, rather than bouncing around Millennials are described by many as an “entitled generation” – but the truth is they are driven, focused and ready to prove themselves. Without the need to live their lives pay-check to pay-check they are more open to the experience and the impact gained through working from such a young age, by having the backing of the Start-Up Loan Scheme - established back in 2012, millennials have been given the drive they need to develop their ideas and grow within the professional environment. The growth in new technology, online-trends and apps over the past decade, have enhanced the overall ability for millennials to succeed in these key industries, even the Baby-boomers have jumped on the new advancements; Accountants, bookkeepers and sales-ledgers are also modernising, using cloud-based software to improve their work efficiency.  ‘With over 195,538 start-ups created already this year, we are already seeing the benefits, the employment rate for 16-64-year-olds is at a staggering high of 75.4% (0.8% increase since 2017) and the unemployment rate is down to 4.2%’ With more businesses being created year-on-year the demand for hiring new staff is at 83%, so if you are setting up a new company or looking to expand your team throughout the year, contact us; Sheffield – 0114 268 3313 |Leeds: 0113 242 1200

22 | 05 | 2018

The Demise of the High-Street

Online Shopping. Over the past few months, we have seen many downfalls amongst retail giants, such as our childhood favourite - Toys R Us who went into administration shortly after Christmas. The lack of being able to innovate their brand with the growing “buy online” craze their total annual profits plummeted as less and less footfall poured through their doors. In 2012 Toys R Us started selling their products through Amazon which evidentially led to the brand's demise - we as consumers got so used to buying online we forgot about the social interaction we once had.  Online shopping has now skyrocketed, we have new apps and faster ways to purchase items, making us the blind generation to our once “famous” high-streets. We have become anti-social and dependent on finding what we need online. The average consumer (+30% of the UK population) would rather use the internet or other online platforms to buy a product or service. Shoppers can now compare prices and products without leaving the comfort of their homes. For a shopper, the ease of using the internet is complemented by the simplicity of price comparing. Consumers can now compare hundreds of prices at the click of a button. We would rather order our weekly shop online than physically seeing the products for ourselves, we skip queues and the emotional strain brought on by being within a sea of people when all we want is a pint of milk or a few more bags of crisps. Many food retailers such as Aldi have seen profits fall by a 5th since the battle over food prices begun to get more consumers into stores and ordering online. As well as seeing loses in profits there has been an increase in wasted food, which has risen to an astonishing £13 billion per year since 2015. But it’s not just food retailers being affected by our online shopping. Fashion retailers such as Debenhams, Primark and M&S have announced since the start of the year they have also had losses in their overall profits, which has evidently raised the percentage of online sales by 15.5% each year since 2015. Online clothing sales are at a staggering 67% and E-commerce sales by businesses in the UK are at £511 billion per year the latest statistics show The failure to innovate with the ever-growing uses of technology has taken a massive hit on high-streets, leaving independent retailers losing profits and even closing down because of the struggles they are facing, with over 6,580 showing signs of financial distress this year, our dependency on technology and being a generation that thrives on socializing through online platforms, could be the cause of our high-streets demise?