Building the team behind the work: Auditor Proud Day
Company culture is built in small, shared moments. Auditor Proud Day, an initiative led by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, is a recent example. In September, our team came together for a morning tea and wore green to recognise the contribution auditors make to businesses, organisations and the wider community.
It was a simple event, but events like it strengthen engagement, encourage people to recognise each other’s contributions and remind us to celebrate achievements along the way. Creating those opportunities for people to come together and support one another is an important part of a positive workplace.
The day carries a serious message. Auditors work behind the scenes to provide confidence in financial information, and their work supports trust, transparency and strong governance across New Zealand businesses. Marking it gave us a chance to acknowledge the professionalism and dedication of our audit team, and to do it in a way that brought colleagues together.
Fixed deadlines, flexible support: work-life balance at UHY Accounting is a profession of fixed deadlines and busy periods, and those deadlines do not move for anyone’s family commitments. At UHY Haines Norton Auckland, we believe excellent client service is only sustainable when the people delivering it are supported to look after their wellbeing, their families and their life outside work. Our approach rests on four things: flexibility, trust, teamwork and continuous improvement.
Work-life balance at UHY starts with practical flexibility. Eligible team members can work remotely when appropriate, which helps them manage family responsibilities, personal commitments and individual circumstances. Our Work From Home policy was written to support employee wellbeing while keeping productivity and client service strong, and managers apply it with an eye to each person’s situation.
Technology is the second part. UHY has invested heavily in systems and process improvements that let teams work more efficiently and collaboratively. Less duplication and fewer manual steps mean less unnecessary pressure, and people can manage their workloads with more control. Sustainable work practices are built into how the work is done, not added on top of it.
Managing the demands of busy seasons
Peak periods are part of public practice, and we do not pretend otherwise. What we can do is keep looking for ways to make them easier to carry.
A good example is our trial of a 4.5-day working week. It recognised the efficiency gains the firm had achieved through better systems and processes, and it gave staff additional personal time while service standards stayed where clients expect them.
Day to day, managers work closely with their teams to monitor workloads, prioritise client commitments and step in with support when pressure builds. Open communication is encouraged so that problems surface early, before they become overwhelming. That is the practical side of our values of adaptability, teamwork, kindness and respect.
When people are supported, engaged and working sustainably, they are better able to provide outstanding service to clients.
Client service and employee wellbeing are not competing priorities
Some firms treat employee wellbeing and client service as a trade-off. We see them as complementary. A team that is rested, supported and communicating well makes fewer errors, spots more issues and builds stronger client relationships, which is good for the professional health of the team and the quality of the work alike.
In practice, that means efficient systems, collaborative teamwork, clear communication and flexible arrangements working together. It also means a culture where people feel able to discuss their personal circumstances and ask for flexibility when they need it, without worrying that it will affect client outcomes.
A UHY story: how flexibility evolved
The way our flexible working arrangements developed shows the approach in action. After the pandemic, the firm reviewed how work was being done and introduced a formal Work From Home policy. It acknowledged that employees have different personal and family circumstances and set out a framework for flexibility that protected client service and team collaboration. Team members could work remotely when appropriate, with managers supporting individual situations case by case. That allowed people to meet important commitments at home while staying connected to clients and colleagues.
More recently, the 4.5-day working week trial took the same thinking further. By investing in better systems and processes first, the firm was able to create more personal time for staff while continuing to deliver the quality of service clients expect. The principle behind it is simple: when our people thrive, our clients benefit too.
Curious about how we work?
Work-life balance at UHY is part of the culture we are building every day through kindness, respect and adaptability, and a commitment to helping our people succeed both professionally and personally. If you would like to know more about what that means for the service you receive, or what working with us could look like, get in touch.
