Some 44% of UK workers were working remotely either part or full-time in 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics, in a trend that has touched the accountancy profession. This shift away from office fronts gives accountants more flexibility and control over work-life balance, broadens the potential pool of talent they can hire and reduces office costs.
Advances in cloud-based and data analytics software, rising high street rents and utility costs, and a desire to widen the net of possible customers have also fuelled the remote work trend. While many firms are adopting a hybrid model to maintain face-to-face consultations with customers who prefer in person service and virtual consultations with other clients, others like Crunch Accounting have taken the plunge and gone fully remote.
Remote accountancy services in demand but not yet displacing high street accountants
Crunch Accounting moved to fully virtual operations during the pandemic, its team of remote workers providing clients with virtual services including accessible accounting software, software and general client support and advice.
Crunch’s Growth Marketing Manager, Frank Benjamin, says being fully remote increased the talent pool of prospective employees. “By being remote, we’ve been able to access a fantastic range of talent across the UK and beyond (including) developers, accountants, and a whole plethora of talent who were harder to source in the local area,” he says.
Many of Crunch’s clients are also remote and have a similar mindset and approach to business. “We now run remotely as do many of our clients and we therefore have a very like-minded thinking to them, which means we understand them very well,” Benjamin says.
The company hosts face-to-face social events for staff each quarter, and livestreams quarterly business updates. The leadership team meets in person every month. Benjamin insists remote working has strengthened staff satisfaction, with the option of co-working spaces, and enhanced productivity.
Through ensuring productivity levels are optimum across all teams “can be a challenge”, he says, it has positively impacted the lives of his staff.
“For many the productivity is greatly enhanced as they love that environment, although they are always very welcome to use our co-working space in Brighton to meet,” he says.
There will always be a place for high street accountants, Benjamin says. “High street accountants are often reliant on walk-in business, whereas Crunch is reliant on building a very powerful marketing site and keeping it very dynamic to build continuous traffic,” he says. “Though the trend appears to be people wanting products and services in the now and not wanting to waste time in face-to-face meetings.”
Impact of remote work remains mixed
Bruce Daisley, former Twitter executive and author of the book, Eat Sleep Work Repeat, says remote work patterns differ across countries, with the UK more enthusiastic about hybrid office work.
“In the UK, most hybrid workers are going into the office two or three times a week,” he says. “In the US, 30% of office workers never see the office. That has a big impact in terms of how work is migrating – and how easily it can be substituted.”
Daisley, whose podcasts and writing focuses on workplace culture and future trends, says remote work was neutral in its impact on workplace productivity, which explains why employers continue to push for employees to work from offices. But remote work positively impacts workplace satisfaction.
“Broadly, the evidence is that remote/hybrid work is neutral from a productivity point of view but positive from a happiness perspective,” Daisley says. “Workers are less likely to quit and are happier with their employers. On that basis then it is a good thing for employers.”
Offering remote work may not always increase the talent pool or create a cohesive workplace culture, Daisely cautions, which is good news for high street accountants. “Cities tended to be good because they were the location of lots of high-quality talent,” he says. “If workers are living in different places then finding them is harder. And there’s been a lot of talk about workplace culture being less cohesive.”
“There’s a job to be done there for sure.”
