How to Reintegrate Furloughed Employees

Trainee Accountant to Senior: How to Progress in Practice (Quickly!)

Throughout my career as a specialist recruiter in professional practice, I’ve had the privilege of working with many talented, ambitious accountants, and some have progressed faster than others. While every journey is unique, there are clear patterns in what helps people move from trainee roles into more senior finance jobs within professional practice. Drawing from this experience, I’ve put together a set of strategies any accountant can adopt to accelerate their career up the professional practice ladder. These tactics have proven to be highly effective for those aiming to achieve their professional goals efficiently and successfully. Embrace Increasing ResponsibilityAs you begin your career in accountancy, the scope of your duties often starts with basic tasks such as data entry, reconciling accounts, and preparing reports. While these tasks are important for building a foundation, taking on more responsibility is key to developing the skills and experience needed for progression in practice.Start by volunteering for more complex tasks that stretch your skillset, such as handling larger client accounts, managing financial forecasting, or (if possible) participating in audits. These challenges will expose you to new aspects of accountancy and allow you to learn beyond the day-to-day duties. Another way to progress quickly is by taking on leadership roles within a team or department. Taking on the responsibility of overseeing junior staff, delegating tasks, and ensuring deadlines are met can significantly enhance your development and provide you with the invaluable ‘management experience’ which is essential for trainee accountants looking to advance to the next step in their professional practice careers. Continuous Learning and Self-DevelopmentAs you challenge yourself with new responsibilities, actively pursuing knowledge and development goes hand in hand with completing further qualifications. Traditionally, most accountants I work with are newly or nearly AAT qualified which is a fantastic accomplishment in itself but for those with aspirations of climbing the ladder the next step should be further studies. Qualifications such as the ACA, ACCA or CTA (depending on your chosen specialism) will allow you to strengthen your technical expertise. It’s worth mentioning here that a good training contract and mentor are invaluable for the next step in your journey and should be a big factor when deciding to look for a new role after completing your AAT. Finding a Mentor Another important aspect of progressing quickly in accountancy is developing relationships with more experienced colleagues, supervisors, and managers. By seeking mentorship from more experienced professionals, you can gain insights into how they managed their career progression. Also, they can guide you in taking on appropriate challenges and responsibilities and help you navigate the complexities of the profession. Many of the most successful finance professionals credit their career growth to strong mentorship relationships established early in their journey. NetworkingNetworking is one of the most underutilised tools for career progression in finance. While it might feel intimidating at first, networking allows you to connect with and learn from likeminded individuals, stay informed about trends in professional practice, and discover new opportunities. One of the primary reasons networking is important is that it helps build valuable relationships that can last your career. By connecting with colleagues, senior professionals, and other stakeholders, you gain access to a wealth of knowledge, insights, and opportunities that can propel your career forward. Ultimately, networking is not just about what you can gain but also about what you can offer to others. By fostering meaningful relationships, you contribute to a collaborative and supportive community that benefits everyone involved. Here at Sharp Consultancy, we host events across the year and have a long-standing relationship with various institutions and training groups including S&DCASS (Sheffield and District Chartered Accountants Student Society), LCASS (Leeds Chartered Accountants Students Society) and First Intuition to host events that bring studiers together from various firms throughout Yorkshire. It really is a brilliant first step in your networking journey. Whether you're just starting out or already on your way up, accelerating your career in professional practice comes down to a mix of mindset, opportunity, and action. By embracing responsibility, committing to continuous learning, building genuine relationships, and tapping into the right support networks, you’ll put yourself in the best possible position to thrive. If you’d like to explore how to take that next step—or just want to chat through your options—I’d love to hear from you. Let’s connect and start shaping your future together. Charlie Marper, Business Manager, charliemarper@sharpconsultancy.com – 0114 261 1700 Looking for your next career move in finance or accountancy? At Sharp Consultancy, our expertise lies in matching your potential with the perfect temporary, interim, or permanent position. With a well-established presence in Leeds and Sheffield, our seasoned team of consultants extends their services across Yorkshire and beyond. Don't wait for opportunity to knock, reach out to us TODAYand let's chart your career path together.

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Furlough. Just over 12 months ago it was a term that very few people would have been aware of but for the past year it is has been a lifeline for businesses – and employees – as organisations navigate the impact of COVID-19.

People will have been placed under very different circumstances over the past year; there will be those who have been furloughed for the duration, some who may have working on a flexible-furlough basis and others who have remained in full employment for the duration.

As many businesses now look to how they transition from this temporary measure to a post-furlough operation, we take you through some of the key considerations when looking to reintegrate employees back into the workplace.

Start the communication around returning to work early to give your team time to prepare and make any necessary arrangements for childcare etc. Make the conversation a two-way process and invite employees to share any concerns they have about returning and what additional support may be required.
Look at what processes you have in place to manage other long-term absences such as parental level or sickness. Consider offering employees a phased return as they adjust to coming back to work – some may have been furloughed for over a year and will need to time to get back up to speed.
Consider how different employees will be feeling. It is likely that you will have a mix of furloughed, flexibly-furloughed and non-furloughed employees, all of whom will have very different experiences and feelings about the past 12 months. Furloughed employees may feel isolated, frustrated to have not been a work and even guilty that colleagues have had to essentially cover for them. Those that have been at work could be resentful that they have had to deal with increased workloads in extremely anxious circumstances. Look at ways you can help everyone understand what the other has been through to ease any potential tensions.
Working remotely, meetings via Zoom and accessing work-based systems in a different way will be second nature to many by now, but for those who are returning to work for the first time, it will be to a very different workplace than the one that they left. Take time to guide those returning through the processes and adjust to a new way of working. Try to think back to those early weeks and don’t assume they will get to grips with everything right way.
It can be easy to lose touch with people - especially if you are not yet returning to the office or workplace – so schedule regular catch-up meetings to check in with returning members of the team and quickly address any concerns or problems.
Define clear goals and expectations for returning employees and identify any skills gaps which need to be addressed. Understand what aspects of their role they may not be able to undertake straightaway and allow a reasonable time for them to adjust and get back up to speed. Consider what training will be needed as either a refresher or in relation to newly implemented systems that have been put in place during their time out of the workplace.
Take some time to run through any key business updates; have people left the business, who is responsible for which areas of the business, have any key clients key or come on board?
If an employee’s return to work coincides with a return to the workplace, are there any adjustments needed around start and finish times, are they reliant upon public transport, what additional safety measures will need to be put in place?
It is possible that there may have been some staffing changes over the past 12 months – how have the team dynamics potentially changed? Has there been any shift in responsibilities and reporting lines, is work being handled by a different person or team now, how will introductions to new team members be handled?
Consider how future lockdowns will be handled and clearly communicate what steps have been put in place to handle staff – or members of their families - needing to isolate.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to find out more.

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