WEBVTT - ...is there no work-life balance? 0:00:01.440 --> 0:00:04.830 Hey, there, I'm Maiki Lynch and I'm an accountant. And 0:00:04.830 --> 0:00:07.710 in this series from ACCA, I'm sitting down with some 0:00:07.710 --> 0:00:11.759 other accountants and people who work in finance to lift the lid on some 0:00:11.759 --> 0:00:14.399 of the common myths you might have fallen for about 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:18.600 this awesome career path. This week we are looking at 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:22.230 the lifestyle of a career in accounting and finance. Is 0:00:22.230 --> 0:00:26.428 it really high stress? Do you have to work all hours? And is 0:00:26.428 --> 0:00:30.120 it impossible to have a good work- life balance? Let's 0:00:30.120 --> 0:00:38.700 find out. This is By All Accounts. Questions about work- life balance are 0:00:38.700 --> 0:00:42.360 all the rage these days, especially since the COVID pandemic 0:00:42.420 --> 0:00:44.820 changed the way a lot of us work. And in 0:00:44.820 --> 0:00:47.759 the finance sector, it's no different. Does a life in 0:00:47.759 --> 0:00:52.559 finance really have to involve such sacrifice? I found two 0:00:52.559 --> 0:00:55.289 people working in the sector to ask, can you have 0:00:55.289 --> 0:01:00.420 a good work-life balance working in finance? First up, Clara Tooth, welcome. 0:01:00.570 --> 0:01:01.200 Hi. 0:01:01.350 --> 0:01:02.610 And Shaun Fenwick, welcome. 0:01:02.670 --> 0:01:03.060 Hello. 0:01:03.240 --> 0:01:06.299 So I'd like to start off by asking, is having 0:01:06.300 --> 0:01:09.749 a good work- life balance, is that important to you? 0:01:10.410 --> 0:01:11.729 Clara, can I come to you first? 0:01:11.730 --> 0:01:17.160 Absolutely. Yes, having a good work- life balance is so important. 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:19.650 I would say myself, and I imagine a lot of 0:01:19.650 --> 0:01:21.990 other accountants feel the same, is we work very hard 0:01:22.530 --> 0:01:25.049 and we put a lot into our jobs. So I 0:01:25.049 --> 0:01:27.179 think it's very important to have that balance of when 0:01:27.179 --> 0:01:30.480 you go home, it's home and it's your time, your enjoyment, 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:32.610 all for you. And I think that helps get the 0:01:32.610 --> 0:01:34.950 best out of you as well. If you're going all the 0:01:34.950 --> 0:01:37.290 time and you never give yourself a break, you're not going 0:01:37.290 --> 0:01:38.580 to be that good at work. You're not going to 0:01:38.580 --> 0:01:41.099 be working to your best ability. So I think having 0:01:41.099 --> 0:01:43.259 that balance gets the best out of you and makes 0:01:43.259 --> 0:01:45.450 you enjoy your job as well. It's good to do 0:01:45.450 --> 0:01:47.219 something you enjoy and that you love. 0:01:47.309 --> 0:01:48.809 Thank you. And, Shaun, can I come to you? 0:01:49.500 --> 0:01:52.410 Yeah, sure. Work- life balance for me is very important. 0:01:52.470 --> 0:01:56.550 I love traveling, going on holidays, seeing friends and family. 0:01:56.550 --> 0:02:00.780 And we've all been in that position where we're overworked, 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:04.139 but that's not sustainable for a long period of time. Yes, 0:02:04.500 --> 0:02:07.380 in accounting there's times of the month where we are 0:02:07.380 --> 0:02:11.280 working longer hours, but you need to find a balance, 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:15.660 that's the key there, where you are happy to sacrifice 0:02:15.660 --> 0:02:18.000 some of your time, but your employer is also happy 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:21.719 to sacrifice some of their time. And it's working both ways, 0:02:21.719 --> 0:02:25.950 so I'm happy to work extra and take some time off, 0:02:25.950 --> 0:02:27.869 and so does my employer. And it's finding an employer 0:02:27.870 --> 0:02:31.230 that's able to give you that opportunity to have a 0:02:31.230 --> 0:02:34.770 comfortable work- life balance. And I think I've found that 0:02:34.950 --> 0:02:39.208 that's very important to me, for sure. I'm currently finance 0:02:39.210 --> 0:02:43.169 manager at Brixton Brewery, which is a craft beer company 0:02:43.169 --> 0:02:46.290 based in South London, in Brixton. What does that entail? 0:02:46.290 --> 0:02:49.410 I guess finance manager, I head up the finance team 0:02:49.410 --> 0:02:52.018 and it's just a small team of us, just myself 0:02:52.020 --> 0:02:55.380 and a finance assistant. We are a subsidiary of Heineken, 0:02:55.679 --> 0:02:59.069 so we work very closely with the team at Heineken 0:02:59.070 --> 0:02:59.490 as well. 0:02:59.550 --> 0:03:02.638 That's so exciting. What made you choose that industry? 0:03:03.090 --> 0:03:06.750 Well, originally I started as an accountant in practice working 0:03:06.750 --> 0:03:09.840 for UHY Hacker Young over in Cambridge. And I was 0:03:10.110 --> 0:03:14.279 halfway through my ACCA journey, having sat I guess six 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:17.190 or seven exams at that time. And as an accountant 0:03:17.250 --> 0:03:20.518 working in accounts and tax, I was on the pathway 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:25.440 to becoming a manager and then up to a partner 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:30.210 level, and that was my aspirations at the time. But then 0:03:30.210 --> 0:03:34.859 for me, practice was very compliance- heavy, so I was 0:03:34.859 --> 0:03:38.310 working on accounts and tax for clients, but I was 0:03:38.310 --> 0:03:40.890 quite limited in what extra or added value I could 0:03:40.890 --> 0:03:44.280 add to those clients. Whereas industry on the other hand, 0:03:44.280 --> 0:03:48.900 I'm working in a finance team in- house and really getting 0:03:48.900 --> 0:03:52.740 involved in not just the compliance side of things but 0:03:52.799 --> 0:03:55.289 the business management, looking at- 0:03:55.289 --> 0:03:57.719 So you've had a bit more of a breadth of work, working in industry? 0:03:57.990 --> 0:04:01.680 Yeah, exactly. Getting involved in projects and being able to 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:06.179 see what I'm adding, if you like. So being able 0:04:06.179 --> 0:04:10.199 to get really involved in the day- to- day financial 0:04:10.199 --> 0:04:13.260 side of running this business, but then also the future 0:04:13.260 --> 0:04:16.860 planning of the business as well. Being able to help 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.040 other departments within the business and watching the business grow 0:04:20.099 --> 0:04:23.700 over time and I really value that, I think it's 0:04:23.700 --> 0:04:27.120 great. Craft beer is a fun and exciting industry. It's an 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:31.678 industry that I've always loved outside of work, so why 0:04:31.678 --> 0:04:35.040 not? And accountancy is a wonderful career path to take 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:37.110 and it does open up a lot of opportunities. 0:04:37.380 --> 0:04:38.909 That's fantastic. I'm going to go to Clara- 0:04:38.909 --> 0:04:38.969 Yeah, sure. 0:04:38.970 --> 0:04:41.969 ... and just a little bit about Clara. Where do 0:04:41.969 --> 0:04:42.750 you work and what do you do? 0:04:43.500 --> 0:04:46.498 I'm a manager at a firm called Accounts and Legal, 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:50.460 and I'm based in the Manchester office. There's kind of 0:04:50.460 --> 0:04:54.000 two parts to my role. The first part is I 0:04:54.029 --> 0:04:57.089 hold a team of 12 people, so it's my job 0:04:57.089 --> 0:05:00.000 to basically make sure everything gets done, everything gets filed, 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:03.688 we don't miss any deadlines, support the team, develop the 0:05:03.690 --> 0:05:06.659 team, help with training, checking in with them, making sure 0:05:06.660 --> 0:05:10.140 they're okay. That's the first side of my role. And 0:05:10.140 --> 0:05:14.219 then the second side is offering that high- level support 0:05:14.220 --> 0:05:17.759 and advice for business owners. The team do a lot 0:05:17.759 --> 0:05:20.520 of the groundwork, they get a lot of the numbers together, and my 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:23.190 job is to go and help explain them to business 0:05:23.190 --> 0:05:26.040 owners and what they mean and how we can make 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:29.370 differences that will impact and change their lives. But yeah, 0:05:29.430 --> 0:05:32.159 that's my role in short, quite a lot going on. 0:05:32.339 --> 0:05:34.830 That is quite a lot going on. Managing 12 people, 0:05:34.830 --> 0:05:37.559 that's a large team. I would call that quite a 0:05:37.559 --> 0:05:38.490 large team. 0:05:38.670 --> 0:05:41.879 Yes, definitely. I've got four assistant managers and I'm very 0:05:41.879 --> 0:05:43.800 lucky with all of them. They do a great job 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:45.570 of looking after some of the junior members of staff 0:05:45.570 --> 0:05:45.900 as well. 0:05:46.230 --> 0:05:48.089 Can you tell us a little bit about how you 0:05:48.089 --> 0:05:50.309 got there? I presume you've been there for a little 0:05:50.309 --> 0:05:51.750 while. Can you tell us a little bit about how 0:05:51.750 --> 0:05:53.310 you got that role? 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:56.909 Absolutely. If we go all the way back to 2015, 0:05:57.330 --> 0:05:59.399 I'd just left high school, didn't really know what I 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:01.950 wanted to do. I was pretty good at maths, knew 0:06:01.950 --> 0:06:05.339 I wanted something that was numbers focused, and just fell 0:06:05.339 --> 0:06:08.400 into an accountancy apprenticeship really. And it was luck and 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.410 I told myself I'll give myself a month and if 0:06:10.410 --> 0:06:12.299 I hate it, I'll go to college and if I like it, 0:06:12.300 --> 0:06:14.880 I'll stick it out. Six years down the line I'd 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:17.430 just qualified, and that was about two and a half 0:06:17.430 --> 0:06:20.219 years ago now, so eight and a half years in 0:06:20.220 --> 0:06:22.979 total. And I've basically just worked my way up bit 0:06:22.980 --> 0:06:25.470 by bit by bit. Started off as a trainee, then 0:06:25.470 --> 0:06:30.209 a semi- senior, senior, senior, assistant manager, portfolio holder, and now 0:06:30.210 --> 0:06:33.150 to manager and client and team responsibility. 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:35.670 That's an incredibly quick journey. 0:06:35.699 --> 0:06:35.789 Yes. 0:06:35.789 --> 0:06:38.880 Congratulations. You came into that straight from school? 0:06:39.060 --> 0:06:40.950 Yeah, 16, straight out of high school. 0:06:41.430 --> 0:06:42.570 Wow, wow. 0:06:43.020 --> 0:06:44.700 And if I was to go back in time, I'd 0:06:44.700 --> 0:06:46.198 definitely do it again because it was a lot of fun. 0:06:46.650 --> 0:06:51.960 You talked about becoming qualified, so you are a qualified accountant. How did 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:55.290 your exams go? Was it all smooth sailing all the way through? 0:06:55.770 --> 0:06:58.830 I started off with my AAT, that took around three and 0:06:58.830 --> 0:07:02.250 a half years, and it was okay. It was challenging. 0:07:02.250 --> 0:07:04.380 There was things, there was exams that were difficult, but 0:07:04.830 --> 0:07:07.230 it was okay and I got through them all first time. 0:07:07.230 --> 0:07:10.170 I then moved on to my ACCA and it was 0:07:10.170 --> 0:07:12.839 hard work. I didn't have too much confidence in myself 0:07:12.840 --> 0:07:16.320 back then, I didn't think I'd pass many or if any. But 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:19.290 I really got my head down, I worked really hard, 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:22.349 and I managed to pass them all first time. So 0:07:22.349 --> 0:07:24.270 it was definitely worth it, but it was by no 0:07:24.270 --> 0:07:26.909 means easy and it was very rewarding at the end. 0:07:26.909 --> 0:07:32.520 Yeah, that's after the journey for a lot of people that step 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:37.860 up from a foundation qualification to your charter qualification can 0:07:37.860 --> 0:07:40.800 sometimes feel like a step up. I presume you were 0:07:40.800 --> 0:07:42.300 working at the same time as studying? 0:07:42.509 --> 0:07:44.730 Yep. I would work four days a week and then 0:07:44.730 --> 0:07:46.619 I'd get one day week study leave as part of 0:07:46.799 --> 0:07:49.770 the apprenticeship. And on that day I'd go to college 0:07:49.770 --> 0:07:52.080 and then you'd have to study in evenings and weekends 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:54.630 as well. It was a lot of hard work, especially 0:07:54.630 --> 0:07:57.060 the closer you get to exams, it's every evening and 0:07:57.540 --> 0:07:58.379 every weekend. 0:07:58.530 --> 0:07:59.489 And do you feel it was worth it? 0:07:59.730 --> 0:08:02.429 Definitely. If I went back in time, I'd definitely do 0:08:02.429 --> 0:08:02.969 it all again. 0:08:03.389 --> 0:08:05.910 Do you remember how you celebrated when you did qualify, 0:08:05.910 --> 0:08:08.250 when you got that charter status, the letters after your 0:08:08.250 --> 0:08:11.160 name, do you remember what you did or if you celebrated? 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:15.869 We got our results at midnight, so I think the day that 0:08:15.870 --> 0:08:18.210 I qualified I didn't particularly sleep at all that night. 0:08:18.750 --> 0:08:21.599 I just think I was so over the moon. Yeah, I didn't 0:08:21.599 --> 0:08:25.200 do anything big or crazy. But yeah, I was just 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:28.350 really happy, and lots of celebrations with family and friends. 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:30.420 Long time coming, it felt like by the time I 0:08:30.420 --> 0:08:33.330 got there, but it was a really, really good feeling in the moment. 0:08:33.870 --> 0:08:35.759 Shaun, can I come back to you because I didn't 0:08:35.759 --> 0:08:38.549 actually touch upon where you are in your studies or 0:08:38.549 --> 0:08:40.979 if you're qualified. Where are you in your journey at the moment? 0:08:40.979 --> 0:08:45.420 Yeah, sure. My journey started very similarly to Clara's, although I 0:08:46.050 --> 0:08:48.598 stayed at school and did my A- levels, so studied 0:08:48.660 --> 0:08:50.790 maths in the first year of my A- levels, and 0:08:51.059 --> 0:08:55.289 maths was always a strong point of mine. So naturally 0:08:55.620 --> 0:08:59.100 I thought, " Let's start a career in accountancy." I started as 0:08:59.100 --> 0:09:03.120 an apprentice, working for a company called Bidwells at the time. 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:07.710 They had a client accounting team and that was in 0:09:07.710 --> 0:09:12.630 their agricultural division, so I worked with lots of landowners, 0:09:13.349 --> 0:09:16.468 contract farmers, and as you can imagine, it was a 0:09:16.469 --> 0:09:17.970 box full of receipts and manually- 0:09:19.650 --> 0:09:19.829 Are they all there? 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:25.200 Yeah, exactly. My first role in accounting was very junior 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:28.199 as well, and then decided, okay, I want to become a 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:30.959 chartered accountant. So I was weighing up my options and 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:34.080 decided what do I want to have this accountancy qualification 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:37.050 and I want to be an all- rounded accountant, if 0:09:37.050 --> 0:09:40.890 you like. Hence, why I chose ACCA. Started my journey 0:09:40.890 --> 0:09:44.250 with ACCA also under an apprenticeship scheme, so I was 0:09:44.250 --> 0:09:47.159 working four days a week, one day out at college. 0:09:47.250 --> 0:09:50.129 I was sitting exams once every quarter at that time 0:09:50.700 --> 0:09:54.180 was getting first- time passes for the first year or 0:09:54.330 --> 0:09:57.690 two whilst I was under the apprenticeship program. And then 0:09:58.620 --> 0:10:02.639 I decided, move away from being an accountant, let's go 0:10:02.639 --> 0:10:04.920 and work in an industry such as craft beer, which is 0:10:04.920 --> 0:10:07.348 where I'm now. And at that point I no longer 0:10:07.349 --> 0:10:10.740 got the study support, so I was studying myself in 0:10:10.740 --> 0:10:13.799 the evenings and on the weekends. And that was difficult, 0:10:13.830 --> 0:10:15.570 that was really tough. I did fail a couple of 0:10:15.570 --> 0:10:21.208 exams, but resat them, got through them eventually. And recently, 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:24.179 in December, I sat my last exam. I'm waiting on 0:10:24.179 --> 0:10:27.870 the results so I'm not, well, could be fully qualified, 0:10:27.929 --> 0:10:29.458 I might not be, we'll wait and see. 0:10:30.029 --> 0:10:33.870 That's really exciting. That's it, so you're waiting on the message to come 0:10:33.870 --> 0:10:36.120 through. Will you be staying up on Sunday night? 0:10:36.210 --> 0:10:39.120 Absolutely, yep. It's always a difficult one. It's like do 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:43.320 I stay up and hope for the best or do I go 0:10:43.530 --> 0:10:45.330 to sleep and just check it in the morning? But 0:10:45.450 --> 0:10:47.160 if you do that, you're going to have a sleepless night. 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:48.660 But if I stay awake I might have a sleepless 0:10:48.660 --> 0:10:49.828 night, who knows, so yeah. 0:10:50.340 --> 0:10:51.450 Will you let us know how you get on? 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.760 Yeah, definitely. For sure. Yeah, it's been a long wait, 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:55.770 it's a six- week wait for the results. 0:10:55.770 --> 0:11:01.979 Yes. If you pass, what are you going to do, what's the celebration that's been planned? 0:11:02.910 --> 0:11:03.420 Are you going to work on Monday? 0:11:03.420 --> 0:11:08.218 I haven't got any plans yet. I will be working on Monday. I think it'll be 0:11:08.220 --> 0:11:11.520 the weekend after where celebrations will begin. We'll see, friends 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:17.309 and family, just probably go out for a meal and some drinks and yeah, we'll 0:11:17.309 --> 0:11:19.440 be in full celebration mode, for sure, hopefully. 0:11:20.040 --> 0:11:22.230 Clara, I'm going to come back to you. So in 0:11:22.230 --> 0:11:25.050 your current role, how do you feel your work- life 0:11:25.050 --> 0:11:27.478 balance is and can you tell us just a little 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:29.309 bit about your work- life balance that you have? 0:11:29.458 --> 0:11:33.780 Yeah, absolutely. In terms of work- life balance in my role, 0:11:33.809 --> 0:11:37.680 there definitely is a balance. My job is nine- to- five, 0:11:37.710 --> 0:11:40.109 although it isn't always nine- to- five. There are definitely 0:11:40.109 --> 0:11:42.720 times where sometimes I have to stay late and things 0:11:42.720 --> 0:11:47.370 are due and that's that. But on the flip side, there 0:11:47.370 --> 0:11:51.030 is a lot of rewards to that kind of job. 0:11:51.690 --> 0:11:54.478 For example, where I work at moment we've implemented something 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:57.210 called Friyays, and that's where you get to do a 0:11:57.210 --> 0:12:00.328 full day week and take Friday off. So we do 0:12:00.330 --> 0:12:02.578 longer four- hour days and then a full Friday off. 0:12:02.850 --> 0:12:05.520 Every Saturday and Sunday is off so the weekends are mine. 0:12:05.790 --> 0:12:08.220 I do not work on weekends or bank holidays, that 0:12:08.220 --> 0:12:11.699 is my time. And things like Christmas I get completely off, 0:12:11.700 --> 0:12:14.610 finish on the 22nd, went back on the 2nd of Jan. 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:16.859 And for me I think that's quite a good work- 0:12:16.859 --> 0:12:20.160 life balance. When I take time off, that time is mine. 0:12:20.490 --> 0:12:22.500 And don't get me wrong, sometimes I do have to work 0:12:22.500 --> 0:12:25.228 a little bit late and get something done, but there's 0:12:25.230 --> 0:12:28.500 quite a lot of flexibility. We also have things like flexitime, 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:31.439 so I'm not very good at starting work at eight 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:33.689 o'clock in the morning, so I will start at 9: 0:12:33.839 --> 0:12:36.268 30 and work until a little bit later. But other members of 0:12:36.270 --> 0:12:39.240 the team, they like to be in early and home early and that's 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:42.030 quite nice, you can just fit it around whatever suits 0:12:42.030 --> 0:12:43.920 you and your lifestyle, and yeah! 0:12:46.002 --> 0:12:46.002 Friyay sounds great! 0:12:46.002 --> 0:12:46.003 Friyays are good! 0:12:46.003 --> 0:12:52.379 Friyay and a little bit of flexi sounds incredible. Shaun, how's 0:12:52.379 --> 0:12:54.809 your workplace in terms of work- life balance? 0:12:55.290 --> 0:12:58.800 For me it's great. I think everyone has their own work- 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:03.030 life meaning. For me it's just being able to have 0:13:03.030 --> 0:13:06.509 the time available to see friends and families, go on 0:13:06.509 --> 0:13:10.769 holiday, et cetera, and not being overworked. In the world 0:13:10.770 --> 0:13:14.250 of accounting now there's so many systems that you can 0:13:14.250 --> 0:13:18.300 implement to streamline your work, so for me it's all 0:13:18.300 --> 0:13:21.929 about working smart and not harder, and how can I 0:13:21.929 --> 0:13:23.610 do that to make sure that I've got the most 0:13:23.610 --> 0:13:26.400 amount of free time possible, really. We do work 9: 0:13:26.490 --> 0:13:30.420 00 until 5:00 but there's no commitment to work any extra hours 0:13:30.420 --> 0:13:33.210 in the evenings or the weekends, so that's my own 0:13:33.210 --> 0:13:35.700 time. We have a good annual leave allowance so I can 0:13:35.700 --> 0:13:39.480 get those holiday trips in. We can also work wherever, 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:43.680 whenever. So we can work remotely, whether that's at home, 0:13:43.740 --> 0:13:47.279 or if you want to book a long weekend somewhere 0:13:47.279 --> 0:13:48.001 and you want to work- 0:13:48.001 --> 0:13:48.002 As well. 0:13:48.002 --> 0:13:50.250 ... in a different country, you can, you just need 0:13:50.250 --> 0:13:51.750 a laptop and that's great. 0:13:52.140 --> 0:13:56.670 Lovely. And so I think accounting and finance, it does have that 0:13:56.670 --> 0:13:59.639 reputation, particularly at the beginning but also when you are 0:13:59.639 --> 0:14:02.458 qualified and you are more senior, of being quite hours- 0:14:02.460 --> 0:14:04.470 heavy. Have you found that to be the case? 0:14:04.500 --> 0:14:07.860 In a previous role there was quite a big focus 0:14:07.860 --> 0:14:11.550 on billable hours or chargeable hours. Especially in the role 0:14:11.550 --> 0:14:13.500 that I was in at the time it was very much, " 0:14:13.500 --> 0:14:16.440 Right, I just need to sit and work." But throughout 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:20.790 my time in that role the company shifted its mentality 0:14:20.790 --> 0:14:24.599 from billable, chargeable hours to valuable hours, if you like. 0:14:24.630 --> 0:14:26.729 And it was about getting the work done to a 0:14:26.730 --> 0:14:29.370 high standard and it was up to you to decide 0:14:29.700 --> 0:14:33.240 how many hours you were working. And if you were excelling 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:35.849 and you were putting in the effort, you would be 0:14:35.849 --> 0:14:38.549 rewarded for that, which I think was great. So that 0:14:38.549 --> 0:14:40.020 mindset has changed definitely. 0:14:40.710 --> 0:14:46.020 Do you think that happened during the pandemic or do you think the pandemic gave any changes to the way 0:14:46.020 --> 0:14:46.170 we work? 0:14:46.170 --> 0:14:46.951 For me it happened before the pandemic. 0:14:46.951 --> 0:14:46.952 Before? 0:14:46.952 --> 0:14:52.349 Yeah. The pandemic helped. The pandemic has introduced this idea 0:14:52.349 --> 0:14:54.210 of a four- day working week. There's a lot of 0:14:54.210 --> 0:14:58.049 research to suggest that actually you can do the same 0:14:58.049 --> 0:15:00.480 amount of work in fewer hours, and I think that's 0:15:00.480 --> 0:15:03.120 great. And I think accountancy is one of those roles 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:07.770 where that's evident, you can really demonstrate that. 0:15:09.210 --> 0:15:12.389 I think from my perspective, I do think there probably 0:15:12.389 --> 0:15:14.759 was once a time where people were working late and 0:15:14.759 --> 0:15:17.699 you had to work a lot of hours, but in 0:15:17.699 --> 0:15:20.280 practice I think there's been a very big change in 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:22.890 the last, say, five years or so, where technology's come 0:15:22.890 --> 0:15:27.510 in and we've shifted from everything being, " Oh my gosh, 0:15:27.510 --> 0:15:30.510 the client's given me something a day before deadline," to it 0:15:30.599 --> 0:15:32.670 being a lot more electronic. So I feel like you 0:15:32.670 --> 0:15:34.559 can get ahead of things a lot more and plan 0:15:34.559 --> 0:15:38.640 better and prepare better, and I found that that's reduced 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:42.000 that need almost for excessive working because it's not like 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.430 you've got 10 people who all need everything doing tomorrow, 0:15:44.730 --> 0:15:47.910 you actually have ... You're able to do things easier and 0:15:47.910 --> 0:15:50.549 earlier and quicker. You'll hear a lot of accountants talk 0:15:50.549 --> 0:15:52.979 about this time of year, tax return season, and everyone's 0:15:52.980 --> 0:15:56.340 working crazy. Well, actually, the way things are going I've 0:15:56.340 --> 0:15:58.590 found each year it's eased off a little bit more, 0:15:58.590 --> 0:16:01.740 a little bit more, a little bit more. And we 0:16:01.740 --> 0:16:03.990 do just seem to be getting into a better system 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.410 almost. And I think that is allowing also better work- life balance 0:16:07.770 --> 0:16:10.109 and taking quite a lot of stress off. Compared to, 0:16:10.109 --> 0:16:12.209 when I think back to when I first started, the 0:16:12.209 --> 0:16:13.710 amount of things you'd have to get done in a 0:16:13.710 --> 0:16:16.500 short period of time due to things outside of your 0:16:16.500 --> 0:16:19.110 control aren't exactly the same now, you do have a 0:16:19.110 --> 0:16:22.709 lot more control and a lot more ability to reduce 0:16:22.710 --> 0:16:23.490 that stress. 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:26.910 Do you think you can achieve a good work- life balance 0:16:26.910 --> 0:16:27.781 working in accounting and finance? 0:16:27.781 --> 0:16:31.410 I think you definitely can achieve it. And the way that 0:16:31.530 --> 0:16:35.310 my view on it is, like I said earlier, sometimes 0:16:35.310 --> 0:16:37.739 you do still have to work late, but you do 0:16:37.740 --> 0:16:40.650 get that back. So that's where the balance comes, is 0:16:40.650 --> 0:16:42.000 there is a little bit of give but you do 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:44.280 take it back for yourself and you do get to enjoy 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:48.810 your life and your lifestyle. I feel very lucky, blessed, grateful, 0:16:48.810 --> 0:16:51.600 all of it, with the lifestyle that I'm able to 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:57.030 have. I'm 24, I qualified at 22, and that's pretty 0:16:57.030 --> 0:17:00.480 young for an accountant. In the summer, so just in 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:02.849 August '23, I managed to buy my first home on 0:17:02.849 --> 0:17:06.208 my own and that was an absolutely amazing achievement for 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:09.930 me. And I feel very grateful that I was firstly 0:17:09.930 --> 0:17:12.330 given the opportunity as a 16- year- old to be 0:17:12.660 --> 0:17:15.299 allowed to become an accountant and work my way up and 0:17:15.300 --> 0:17:20.219 have all this, and I feel so blessed that when 0:17:20.219 --> 0:17:22.888 I book time off I can go on holiday. It's 0:17:22.888 --> 0:17:24.780 very lucky to be able to have a long- term 0:17:24.780 --> 0:17:26.970 career and know that you're always safe and you're always 0:17:26.970 --> 0:17:29.790 going to have a nice, steady income, and that will 0:17:29.790 --> 0:17:31.560 then give you the opportunities to do what you want 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:34.408 to do with your life outside of work. And enjoy 0:17:34.410 --> 0:17:36.450 yourself because we all get up every day, we come 0:17:36.450 --> 0:17:38.099 to work, when we go home we should be able 0:17:38.099 --> 0:17:40.138 to do what we want to and what makes us 0:17:40.138 --> 0:17:43.109 happy. But it is opened a lot of things personally 0:17:43.109 --> 0:17:46.800 as well. I'm able to do what I want and 0:17:46.890 --> 0:17:48.420 it's great, I feel very blessed. 0:17:48.810 --> 0:17:51.629 Well, congratulations, particularly on you house purchase. 0:17:51.929 --> 0:17:52.109 Thank you. 0:17:52.109 --> 0:17:55.590 You've worked so hard for and it's just really inspiring 0:17:55.590 --> 0:17:58.021 to hear, so thank you for sharing that with us. 0:17:58.021 --> 0:18:01.230 Well, my house definitely isn't a mansion by any means, 0:18:01.230 --> 0:18:02.100 but I've got my own! 0:18:02.101 --> 0:18:03.030 Give it time, the second one. 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:05.220 Yeah, I've got some bricks and mortar, it's great. 0:18:05.730 --> 0:18:08.340 Shaun, coming to you, just the same questioning from me. 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:11.760 What lifestyle has this career path allowed you to have? 0:18:13.230 --> 0:18:17.158 It's introduced me to a lot of interesting people, opened 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:20.100 up a lot of opportunities. Also, for me, I work 0:18:20.100 --> 0:18:23.760 in craft beer, which is a really fun, exciting industry. 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:28.559 We have a taproom, so it means going out to the taproom and 0:18:28.559 --> 0:18:31.890 drinking loads of free beer, which is brilliant, so that's 0:18:32.130 --> 0:18:36.418 Friday evening sorted. And I'm very fortunate enough to be in a 0:18:36.420 --> 0:18:38.940 position where I can go on a number of holidays 0:18:38.940 --> 0:18:42.750 every year, explore the world, live in an amazing city. 0:18:42.750 --> 0:18:45.840 I live in London, which is brilliant. And likewise, I'm 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:49.170 very excited what the future holds. There's so many different 0:18:49.170 --> 0:18:51.388 routes you can take and which I can still take. 0:18:51.388 --> 0:18:53.849 There's so many skills that I can learn and I 0:18:53.850 --> 0:18:57.060 haven't learned. Accountancy is this never- ending cycle, which you 0:18:57.060 --> 0:18:59.760 can just keep getting the next opportunity, or fighting for 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:00.540 the next opportunity. 0:19:03.388 --> 0:19:05.339 Do you think, Shaun, that you can achieve or that you have achieved a good work- life balance? 0:19:05.340 --> 0:19:09.630 Yeah, definitely. In my role, I'm responsible for managing my 0:19:09.630 --> 0:19:12.449 own workload as well. For me, I've been in other 0:19:12.450 --> 0:19:15.930 roles prior to being an accountant, where I'm customer- facing, 0:19:15.930 --> 0:19:18.540 for example. I need to be present. I need to 0:19:18.540 --> 0:19:22.410 be there from this hour to that hour. In accountancy 0:19:22.559 --> 0:19:24.660 it is up to me to pick up the work 0:19:24.660 --> 0:19:26.398 when I can and to get it done when I 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:29.100 need to get it done. That will enable me to 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:32.430 juggle my own workload and to achieve a healthy work- 0:19:32.430 --> 0:19:33.060 life balance. 0:19:33.480 --> 0:19:34.921 Absolutely. That flexibility is- 0:19:34.921 --> 0:19:36.179 The flexibility is key, yeah. Yeah. 0:19:36.630 --> 0:19:41.790 Yeah. So, so key. What advice would you give someone 0:19:41.790 --> 0:19:44.970 perhaps who is considering a career in accounting and finance? 0:19:46.529 --> 0:19:50.400 Speak to another accountant or more than one other accountant. 0:19:50.520 --> 0:19:53.790