EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR WORKING FROM HOME

Sharp Consultancy's Salary Survey 2025/26: Resetting the Landscape: Strategic Shifts in Finance Recruitment

It would be remiss not to start by addressing the elephant in the room — 2024 was a challenging year.While there were many reasons for this and numerous industries were affected, recruitment likely bore the brunt of it, particularly in the 6 months post-election(s).Whilst key roles and critical hires remained unaffected, certain head counts and processes were scrutinised and investment paused with internal restructures and automation utilised to reduce costs, in some instances, at the expense of employees. We subsequently saw an increase in candidate activity, with the talent pool strengthening. As those pressures eased in Quarter 4, recruitment processes saw improvement and green shoots have emerged. Optimism is on the rise in key hiring processes, albeit with a caveat. The cloud of additional cost increases in April, which is still dissipating. The senior finance and C-Suite market remains relatively unaffected, both regarding opportunities and candidates, it is the levels below that we have seen more change. In the evolving landscape of working dynamics, the volume of hybrid working is gradually waning despite sustained interest from candidates, presenting fewer job opportunities. While the blend of office and remote work remains desirable, it is no longer the predominant factor, indicating a notable shift in priorities for clients and candidates’ acceptance alike. Conversations with candidates underscore a growing desire around the importance of having a supportive mentor or manager and many professionals are increasingly open to a full-time return to the office if it guarantees enhanced guidance and avenues for professional advancement. "The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region."Throughout the professional practice market, some similar trends have been observed but there have been noticeable differences in the past year. Salaries across the range of candidates in professional practice, from AAT to fully Qualified (ACA/ACCA) individuals are still rising and those firm’s able to offer competitive salaries alongside stronger training contracts are beating out the competition in a candidate market with a growing focus on study support packages and career advancement opportunities for Part-Qualified candidates, indicating an increase in demand from employers and the volume of available job seekers. The salaries throughout transactional finance have stabilised across the region, in what feels like the longest period of stability seen since Q4 2020 and we expect transactional finance salaries to remain stable throughout 2025/26, with anticipated salary increments to be moderate compared to the significant increases observed throughout the last 2 years. AI & Systems (process automation) continues to impact accountancy and finance, in particular, across larger functions but this has increased the need for wider interim support to assist with the transition and implementation especially with large, automated processes. Whilst 2025-26 will not be the same marketplace for recruitment as seen in previous years, there is certainly a growing level of optimism and whilst a more settled market may be seen as a negative in some areas, for those that have weathered the peaks and troughs over a longer period of time, it will feel very normal and a strong setting for both employees and employers to take advantage and thrive, with an increasing emphasis on growth and development.Download the full Salary Survey here!

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With working from home becoming a norm in everyday working lives, here are our top tips and suggestions for creating an effective environment will help maintain a work life home life balance.

Set yourself ‘working hours’

As much as possible, try and put in place a ‘working day’ so you have a clear time frame for starting work and a recognised end of the day. Although this doesn’t need to be a traditional 9-5 routine – one of the key benefits of working remotely is the flexibility to work around appointments or, in the current climate, childcare arrangements. Communicate with your colleagues and managers of any adjustments that you need.

Create a dedicated work area

One of the best ways to separate work from home life is to have a specific room or area that is only for work. Ideally this would be a room that you can close the door on at the end of the day but if that isn’t possible, try to set up somewhere as your work area – you don’t want to be tidying up equipment and documents to free up the kitchen table every mealtime!

Set some boundaries

If you are working from home and other members of the household are around it can be easy to become distracted or slip into undertaking ‘home’ tasks instead of focussing upon work. If you need to juggle childcare with work, agree time slots with your partner where one of you can take responsibility for the children whilst the other is on ‘do not disturb’.

Take regular breaks

One of the key benefits of working from home is the flexibility to structure your day to suit your needs and it is important to ensure that you take regular breaks. This could be taking the time to go for a walk or run during the day, participating in an exercise class or taking the dog for a walk. If you can’t get outside, make sure you get up from your desk regularly and try to take your lunch break away from your work area.

Dress like you are at work

Having a ‘work wardrobe’ even whilst you are working from home can help separate work time from home life. That doesn’t mean you need to be suited and booted every day – it’s fine to adopt a more relaxed dress code but you don’t want to be caught out with a spontaneous video call whilst wearing joggers and sloppy t-shirt!

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for temporary, interim and permanent roles across the full spectrum of positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today and speak to a member of our team about your next career move.