Robert Brumby – Accounts Secretary

“I get satisfaction from my work, especially when it's really challenging work”

Sometimes finding the right job isn’t about meticulous planning or passing rigorous selection tests. Sometimes a good match between a job candidate and a vacant post is all about timing. That’s the nature of speculative applications and that’s how Robert Brumby found his job with Leicestershire based accountancy firm Berry Accountants.

Robert’s speculative application for a clerk’s position arrived at the right time at the company and 20 years later, Robert who is a wheelchair user, has ‘grown’ with the company, increased his qualifications and is now a Senior Accounts Clerk.

Employer's story

Berry Accountants hold the ‘Investors in People Award’ and Adrian Neal, a partner and manager at the company, is committed to investing in his staff and developing them. He could see for example that Robert had the potential to further develop his knowledge and skills and encouraged him to study for an Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) qualification. This qualification gives Robert the option to specialise in tax related accountancy work.

Recruiting the right people

As a manager, Adrian understands that companies need staff with the right skills and qualifications. But he also believes that selecting staff with the ‘right’ character is an equally important part of the recruitment process. “For accountancy work, we like to recruit people who have a logical approach to their work and who are confident and committed to getting their work right” says Adrian. One of the qualities he values in Robert is his reliability. “He is the most reliable member of staff I’ve ever had” says Adrian.

To ensure Robert has the physical support he needs to do his job, Adrian liaises with Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities, a charity that helps disabled people find work and also offers support to disabled employees. An Employment Adviser from the charity, Ann Duggan, visits the company periodically to check that equipment and furniture are suitable for Robert and makes recommendations about adaptive furniture. The company has also used Access to Work funds to purchase equipment such as Robert’s electric wheelchair. Adrian values the advice that the company receives from Employment Opportunities and says: “It’s good to know that someone out there has answers that can offer support.”

Employee's story

Robert has a condition which affects the strength in his muscles so although he can walk very short distances, he uses a wheelchair to increase his mobility. The weakness in his muscles also affects his ability to carry and lift objects.

After leaving college, Robert was pragmatic about his career options. He says: “I had to balance what I was interested in doing, with what I was physically limited to doing because of my disability.” The accountancy profession caught Robert’s attention and he knew that the nature of the work wouldn’t be an issue as far as his disability was concerned.

Professional development

Robert may have worked for the same company for 20 years but during that time he has developed his knowledge and skills within the profession. When he first arrived at the company he had ‘A’ levels but no professional qualifications. Now, he holds professional accountancy qualifications such as the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) qualification and the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification.

The nature of his work has changed as a result of his increased qualifications and Robert now works at a more senior level than when he first started at the company. He also works in a more accessible office. Previously, he needed to use a wheelchair lift to access the first floor of the company’s old offices and then use a separate wheelchair to move around the offices. Now at the company’s current premises, Robert is based on the ground floor and only needs to use one wheelchair.

As a senior clerk, Robert’s responsibilities include preparing client accounts, sorting out queries about accounts and producing reports. “The job isn’t just about slapping figures on screens though” says Robert, “I enjoy the client contact aspect of my work and I also get to do some quite challenging work. Knowing that I’ve completed a task or solved an accounts query is quite satisfying.”

Robert clearly made the right choice in terms of both his choice of career and choice of employer. But speculative applications work both ways and his application also turned out to be a success for the company.

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