Harry: supported to progress
I began my career at another large accountancy firm, but the department I was in was huge, with several hundred people, and I felt like a small cog in a big machine. There was a lack of personal touch to the work and processes. This is in complete contrast to how I have felt working at Grant Thornton. Whilst the firm is big it still feels very human to me. I felt very welcome joining the TAS team and it felt like I was talking to people who had a real interest in me and my life.
When I decided to change career paths, I weighed up staying where I was, joining Grant Thornton or joining another firm but for me it was the culture, and the firm’s approach to work/life balance that made me choose Grant Thornton. The application process was very efficient. From application to offer was two weeks in total, and I was kept regularly up to date throughout the process.
We’re a growing team
I work in the Financial Services Financial Due Diligence team within TAS. When I joined there was only eight of us in the team but over the past four years we’ve tripled in size, despite setbacks with Covid, and we are now a team of 25 people specialising in this area. Whilst we’re a growing team, we’re still small and we have a real opportunity to shape the way we do things. I enjoy being able to feel the impact I as an individual am having.
We work with a really varied mix of clients, which means every project is different and there are always opportunities to learn and develop. It’s nice not be pigeonholed in to working on a certain type of client or project. Because of the type of work we are involved with, we also do a lot of work with other teams across Grant Thornton, which helps to broaden our knowledge and experience as a team, and as individuals.
Progression opportunities
One thing that has really stood out to me over the past few years is the firm’s commitment to its people, and looking after them, whether it’s supporting their career development or ensuring they have access to support and resources to help them manage their wellbeing.
At Grant Thornton, there isn’t an assumption that everyone wants to progress their career in the same way or timeframe. People managers understand that what one person wants to achieve in one year, another may want to achieve over three years – or not at all, and either way is fine. I think from a mental health perspective, understanding different people’s career objectives helps them feel less pressure to achieve certain goals within set timeframes, instead being able to balance the pace of their career with their life outside of work.
Valued for me
I usually work two days in the office each week which vary depending on work and personal commitments. I’ve never felt pressured to be in or out of the office and feel there is a high level of trust amongst colleagues that people will make the effort to be in the office when they need to be and will work effectively wherever they work from. For me, the main advantages of flexible working are the time I save commuting and the ability to go for a run during the day without needing to pack a gym bag. Together these mean I have more free time in the evenings to see friends and family.
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