Scottish finance leaders facing home-working headache as Covid worries continue

A greater reliance on home-working will be the biggest change facing businesses post-pandemic, according to a survey of Scottish finance leaders.

Kirsty MacKenzie, chief executive of iMultiply, says months on from the first survey it is clear that those in Scottish financial leadership positions are still feeling under additional pressure. Picture: Paul Bock

Meanwhile, 60 per cent of finance directors are experiencing higher demands on their time compared to pre-Covid times, the latest snapshot from iMultiply, the finance and accountancy search specialist, reveals.

The firm introduced its survey during the pandemic to monitor the priorities, team challenges, stress and wellbeing of Scottish finance leaders.

Respondents operate in a variety of sectors, including energy and utilities, construction, manufacturing, education, retail, technology, transport and the public and third sectors.

The latest results show that finance leaders continue to experience additional pressure and greater demands on their time, compared to pre-Covid-19. Communication with teams as well as team collaboration continues to be a challenge as many businesses operate away from the office. More than a fifth identified staff sickness as impacting their team.

In divergence to April’s study, the respondents identified a focus on hiring permanent employees over the next 12 months – compared to a projected need for temporary workers identified in the spring.

Backing for government support initiatives remains relatively constant – 52 per cent agreed that support was adequate, a slight drop from April.

Kirsty MacKenzie, chief executive of iMultiply, said: “Months on from our first survey and it’s clear that those in Scottish financial leadership positions are still feeling under additional pressure.

“We are all dealing with pandemic-induced uncertainty in our personal lives so it’s no surprise to see that reflected in the workplace. And just as we have reached out to check in with neighbours and friends in our local communities, so iMultiply looks to reach out to professionals across the sector with an offer of coaching support.

“We understand the challenges and seek to understand how others are experiencing them – collaboration, communication and support will be the only way that many of us will adapt and survive this crisis.

“Leaning on each other will result in a stronger, more resilient business community, which will benefit Scotland as a whole.”

The firm is partnering with coaching specialist Gearing for Growth to offer coaching to the finance community.

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