ApprovalMax raises £10M growth investment
ApprovalMax, a cloud-based platform specialising in internal financial controls, has successfully raised £10 million from European growth equity firm Yttrium.
THIS INVESTMENT MARKS A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE FOR THE COMPANY, WHICH HAS OPERATED ENTIRELY ON A SELF-FUNDED BASIS SINCE ITS LAUNCH.
The cloud-based platform, ApprovalMax, automates accounts payable and receivable processes, providing businesses with robust controls to combat fraud and workflow inefficiencies. It integrates with major accounting systems such as Xero, QuickBooks Online, and Oracle NetSuite, adding an essential layer of protec-
tion to financial operations.
The £10 million primary investment from Yttrium comes on the heels of strong growth, with the ApprovalMax team believing that every business, regardless of size, should have access to strong internal financial controls.
By democratising the essentials, ApprovalMax helps more businesses enhance financial oversight and minimise the risk of financial mismanagement. In addition to the primary investment, Yttrium bought an undisclosed
secondary stake from existing shareholders.
Founded in 2018 by industry experts and serial entrepreneurs Konstantin Bredyuk, Helmut Heptner, and Peter Volynsky, ApprovalMax is used by more than 16,000 businesses globally. In June 2024, the company introduced two new add-ons — ApprovalMax Capture and ApprovalMax Pay — transforming it into a comprehensive all-in-one solution for automated accounts payable and accounts receivable.
Keep reading
Xero
Delivers H1 FY25 Rule of 40, Revenue up 25% to $996 Million
XERO LIMITED (ASX: XRO) REPORTS ITS HALF YEAR EARNINGS TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2024 (H1 FY25) WHICH FURTHER DEMONSTRATE XERO’S ABILITY TO DELIVER STRONG RESULTS AND PROVIDE MORE VALUE TO CUSTOMERS, WHILE EXECUTING ITS STRATEGY WITH FOCUS AND PURPOSE.
Xero’s strong operating results included operating revenue growth of 25% (23%
in constant currency (CC)) and an operating expense to revenue ratio of 71.2%. This supported a 51% increase in EBITDA compared to H1 FY24, to $311.7 million1. This resulted in free cash flow increasing to $208.7 million and a free cash flow margin of 21.0%, improving from 13.3% in the prior period. As a result, Xero continued to deliver a greater than Rule of 402 outcome of 43.9%.
CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy said: “This result
reinforces our ability to deliver on our strategy. We have delivered a solid performance across the board this half including continued strong revenue growth, and a greater than Rule of 40 outcome for the second period running.”
“We're executing our strategy with focus and purpose, through disciplined investment aligned to our strategic priorities.”
Find out more
TaxCalc announces significant investment by STG Allegro to support growth
TAXCALC, A LEADING PROVIDER OF TAX AND ACCOUNTS COMPLIANCE AND PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, RENOWNED FOR ITS CUSTOMER-CENTRIC APPROACH AND ITS COMMITMENT TO SCALABLE, INTUITIVE, AND HIGH VALUE SOFTWARE, ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS RECEIVED A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT FROM THE STG ALLEGRO FUND.
The company intends to
partner with STG and to use the capital to continue enhancing its product offerings, invest in customer success, and introduce new innovative offerings to deliver value for its growing accounting firm customers as these firms migrate away from legacy and under-invested tax compliance and practice management software solutions.
Founded in 2004 by Tracy Ebdon-Poole, TaxCalc has become one of the most
trusted brands in the UK tax and accounting software sector. TaxCalc has been focused on providing high levels of customer support and a relentless drive for improvement and new product development.
Under Ebdon-Poole’s leadership, TaxCalc has grown from a small team of five to an industry leader, with over 110 employees and over 11,000 accounting firm customers.
Find out more
Joiin: Introducing Enhanced AR/AP Ageing Reports
WE’RE EXCITED TO REVEAL OUR LATEST UPDATES TO AR-AP AGEING REPORTS.
Driven by feedback from our customers, with this release, you’ll find new layouts, a side panel packed with invoice details, and charts offering a clear, consolidated summary – all designed to streamline your workflow and provide clear insights into your accounts.
What’s New: Enhanced Layouts, Details at a Glance
What if you had the abil-
XU BIWEEKLY - No. 93
Newsdesk:
If you have any news or updates that you would like us to consider for inclusion in the next edition of the XU Biweekly, please email us at: newsdesk@xumagazine.com
CEO: David Hassall
Managing Editor: Wesley Cornell
Chief Revenue Officer: Alex Newson
Account & Partnership Assistant: Robyn Consterdine
Creative Assistant: Aidan McGrath
Advertising: advertising@xumagazine.com
www.xumagazine.com
‘Xero’ is a trademark of Xero Limited (New Zealand). XU Biweekly and XU Magazine is collaboratively produced by an independent group of Xero users and is not affiliated in any way with Xero. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
© XU Magazine Ltd 2014-2024. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. XU Biweekly is published by XU Magazine Ltd (08811842), registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Office 1, Brunswick House, Brunswick Way, Liverpool, L3 4BN, United Kingdom. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. XU Magazine Ltd cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information.
If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant XU Magazine Ltd a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all/any editions, including in any physical or digital format, throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither XU Magazine Ltd nor its employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for loss or damage. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of XU Magazine Ltd, its editors or its contributors.
ity to quickly toggle between a high-level summary and a detailed breakdown of every unpaid invoice?
With this update, that’s exactly what you get:
Three Versatile Layouts: Choose from three visually appealing layouts to suit your preferences. Choose between layouts for Accounts Payable by Supplier, Accounts Receivable by Customer, and an overarching view by Company. These formats allow for quick, clear insights into who owes what and when. The new Ageing Detail view is perfect for consolidating and tracking all unpaid invoices
in one place, creating a single source of information for managing outstanding balances.
Invoice Details at Your Fingertips: Access detailed invoice information directly from our new side panel. Easy to drill down and view invoice specifics. Want to know more? Tap into Xero or QuickBooks directly for granular detail with just a click.
Clear and Concise Charts: Get a bird’s-eye view of your ageing data with our easy-to-read charts.
Find out more
Quoter Product Update: October 2024
025 IS SHAPING UP TO BE AN EXCITING YEAR FOR QUOTER’S PARTNERS, AS SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENTS TO THE PLATFORM ARE UNDERWAY.
Our development squads are in the thick of it, and we’re lucky to have our Roamers, as we call them (developers tasked with providing support where needed), to keep the momentum going on minor changes and fixes. I want to send a big shout-out to the Roamers for another successful month. Their hard work has given us a lot to share, so let’s get into it!
Leverage even more flexibility for customizable quotes
Last month, as part of our larger Quote Editor enhancement project, we released the ability to have Bundles within single-select item groups. This month, we’re taking flexibility with Bundles even further, supporting Bundles in our single-select Sections.
A Section is a group of Line Items on a Quote. With this month’s update, Bundles can be included within Sections.
Keep reading
Simplified order creation and real-time metrics through Katana’s AI-powered assistant
KAI, OUR BRAND-NEW AI-POWERED SALES ASSISTANT, HELPS YOU BY DECREASING MANUAL ORDER ENTRIES AND DISPLAYING ESSENTIAL SALES METRICS (CURRENTLY IN BETA).
In business, efficiency is often everything. Manual tasks can eat into time better spent building customer relationships and driving growth. That’s where KAI — your AI-powered sales assistant — comes in. Designed to automate order processing, deliver real-time sales insights, and enhance
productivity, KAI transforms how you manage sales and inventory. KAI is currently available in an early beta version.
How can KAI assist you?
• Automates sales order entries
With KAI, you can automate order entry to save you time and reduce errors. Simply copy-paste sales order details from an email or a message into KAI, and it automatically extracts the information and creates a quote. Afterward, you can review
accuracy, make adjustments, and convert it to a sales order when you’re ready.
• Provides daily sales insights
KAI provides real-time sales metrics, giving you a clear overview of daily sales, delays, throughput rates, top-performing products and high-value customers – all in a widget placed on the top of the Sales screen. Interact with the widget by clicking on it and opening KAI in a side panel.
Find out more
What’s new in Xero – November 2024
WELCOME TO OUR MONTHLY ROUNDUP OF WHAT’S NEW IN XERO. THIS MONTH, WE’RE EXCITED TO SHARE UPDATES DESIGNED TO SAVE YOU TIME, REDUCE ERRORS, AND GIVE YOU GREATER FLEXIBILITY.
From duplicate bill detection to streamlined GST reporting, we’ve been busy making Xero even better. So sit back, and read on to learn how these enhancements can benefit you and your business.
Global: Avoid duplicate bill payments and streamline bill reviews [Product Idea]
Exciting news! You asked, and we listened. We’ve rolled out not one, but two, highly requested updates to Xero that answer eleven of your most requested product ideas.
Firstly, duplicate bills are a thing of the past!
The new duplicate detection feature proactively
alerts you when potential duplicate bills are detected, regardless of how the bill was created in Xero, reducing the risk of overpaying suppliers and the time-consuming task of rectifying errors.
Secondly, say goodbye to clicking through individual bills or juggling multiple tabs: a new quick view of bills lets you view and approve bills directly from a single screen, streamlining your workflow and saving precious time.
Australia: Easier GST reporting
We’ve streamlined the GST transactions reports to be more user-friendly.
You’ll enjoy a more intuitive layout with combined tax rate and BAS field tabs, and customisable filters to find the exact information you need.
No more endless scrolling; the wider view and sticky header make navigating the reports a breeze.
UK: New reporting fields added to the annual accounts template
Improvements to the annual accounts template have made it simpler to create reports. This pack of necessary reports for end-ofyear accounts provides a more intuitive and consistently formatted solution to streamline your workflows and save you time. Now, you also have access to new system fields that auto-populate key information like fixed asset schedules, net profit before tax, and net profit after tax. This means less manual entry and more accurate, up-to-date reporting. We’ve also tackled a pesky bug that affected report fields during editing, so your reports will stay intact and dynamic.
These are just some of the updates that have rolled out in Xero this month. You can check out the October edition here, and for a full list of what’s new this November read the release notes in Xero Central.
68%
of Australian Accountants say it’s a harder job today than when they started their career
New research from The Access Group highlights the challenges of being an Accountant in 2024, and the double-edged sword of technology.
IN A SURVEY OF 422 AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTANTS, THE ACCESS GROUP (‘ACCESS’) HAVE DELVED DEEPER INTO KEY CHALLENGES FACING THE INDUSTRY, WITH 68% CLAIMING BEING AN ACCOUNTANT IS HARDER NOW THAN EVER BEFORE.
Despite massive leaps in technology and automation, only 9% of Accountants say the work is easier than when they first started their careers. When asked about the role of technology in supporting the day-to- day role of an Accountant, almost every respondent (91%) said they would save at least one hour each week if their platforms were integrated, and more than half (53%) would save four hours or more.
Shockingly, 33% of Ac-
countants said they would save more than seven hours a week simply by integrating their systems. That’s a day every week spent managing the technology that is meant to support them.
According to Access APAC President Kerry Agiasotis, the promise of technology is that it will make work better, simpler, faster. But when firms have too many separate tools that require manual interaction to make the whole process work, it ends up creating more work, not less.
“There is seemingly a tool out there to help Accountants solve every part of their workflow. But when those tools are not integrated, it simply creates more complexity and confusion,” Mr Agiasotis said.
Bright Acquires Inform Direct to Enhance Accounting Product Offering
We’re delighted to announce the acquisition of Inform Direct, an award-winning provider of company secretarial software tailored for accountants, bookkeepers, and SMEs in the UK.
INFORM DIRECT IS WIDELY RECOGNISED FOR ITS INNOVATIVE CLOUDBASED PLATFORM, WHICH SIMPLIFIES THE MANAGEMENT OF COMPANY STATUTORY RECORDS. EACH YEAR, OVER 20,000 ACCOUNTANTS AND SMES RELY ON INFORM DIRECT’S SOFTWARE, WHICH HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS INDUSTRY ACCOLADES AND CONSISTENTLY HIGH CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RATINGS.
Henry Catchpole, CEO of Inform Direct, stated:
"Joining Bright presents an exciting opportunity to further our innovation journey. Together, we aim to empower our customers to deliver high-quality, efficient services and enhance the daily operations of accounting professionals and SMEs throughout the UK."
Since its inception in 2021, Bright has built a comprehensive suite of industry-leading software solutions for accountants,
“Technology is often billed as the key to relieve workload, but our research has shown that the ‘urban sprawl’ of unplanned, non-integrated, and siloed technology systems is negatively impacting Accountant workloads.”
Half of respondents are using between three and five different pieces of technology to help automate workflows and deliver more value to clients, with 31% using more than six platforms. However, our research showed that those with more platforms actually have a lower likelihood of having them integrated, with only 28% saying that their firm has connected systems.
“A reliance on manual processes, re-keying data,
and a need to double and triple check work for accuracy wastes time and leaves important work open to errors. As a trusted advisor to their clients, that’s something every Accountant wants to avoid,” Mr Agiasotis said.
“Technology should enable Accountants to focus on what matters most—their clients. But if that tech is not connected, it further complicates compliance and introduces a situation where Accountants feel they need a degree in software to run their practice.
“When you charge for your time, if your tech is costing you time, it’s ultimately costing your practice money."
Keep reading
Tola Raises
$10.2 Million
bookkeepers, SMEs, and payroll bureaus across the UK and Ireland. The addition of Inform Direct to Bright significantly strengthens its portfolio, offering a complementary suite of cloudbased solutions that enable accountants to manage their clients effectively and compliantly.
Stephen Murdoch, CEO of Bright, remarked:
"this combination will complement our growth strategy and our vision to power the digital practice of tomorrow, today. We are committed to enhancing our product offerings through continuous development and strategic acquisitions that deliver value to our customers. The Inform Direct team shares our dedication to a customer-centric approach, further accelerating our strategy to create an integrated, cloud-native solution that encompasses the entire accounting lifecycle, from bookkeeping to tax filing."
Keep reading
in Seed Funding Led by Sequoia Capital to Help SMBs Manage Cash Flow and Payments
TOLA, AN ALL-IN-ONE AP/AR PLATFORM WITH BUILT-IN FINANCING, EMPOWERING SMBS TO STREAMLINE CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT, TODAY ANNOUNCED IT HAS RAISED $10.2 MILLION IN SEED FUNDING. THE ROUND WAS LED BY SEQUOIA CAPITAL, WITH PARTICIPATION FROM CHERRY VENTURES, CREANDUM, RTP GLOBAL, FOUNDERS, Y COMBINATOR, ZINAL GROWTH, AND PATHLIGHT VC, ALONG WITH SUPPORT FROM SEVERAL NOTABLE FINTECH FOUNDERS AND OPERATORS.
Addressing a Crucial SMB Challenge: Cash Flow Management
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), often re-
ferred to as the “backbone” of the economy, have created 65% of net new jobs in the U.S. since 2000. Yet, despite their vital role, SMBs are frequently underserved by financial institutions, leaving them reliant on outdated, manual payment processes—like checks—while grappling with their number one concern: cash flow.
Tola’s co-founders, Alen Cvisic and Guillaume Simard, saw this firsthand during their years working at Pleo, serving thousands of SMBs. “We’ve spent years in the B2B payments space and quickly realized that the single biggest pain point for SMBs is cash flow. It’s what keeps them up at night,” said Alen Cvisic, CEO and co-founder of Tola.
Keep reading
Roveel and Joiin collaborate to revolutionise financial reporting and consolidation
ROVEEL THE REPORTING SOFTWARE COMPANY BASED IN NORWICH (UK) ARE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE AN EXCITING NEW COLLABORATION BETWEEN ROVEEL AND JOIIN, TWO LEADING INNOVATORS IN THE FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY SPACE. THIS COLLABORATION AIMS TO PROVIDE ROVEEL CUSTOMERS USING SAGE 50 AND SAGE 200 WITH A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND CONSOLIDATION.
Empowering Businesses with Enhanced Financial Insights
Roveel, known for its powerful drill-down reporting and analysis, is working with
Joiin, a specialist in financial consolidation to help customers to combine Roveel's intuitive data analytics with Joiin's expertise in bringing together complex financial data from multiple sources.
Key Benefits for Roveel and Joiin Customers
1. Comprehensive Financial Reporting: Customers will now have access to Joiin's comprehensive suite of reports, including multi-entity consolidations along with Roveel's powerful drill-down reporting and analysis.
2. Multi-Entity Financial Consolidation: Joiin's specialisation in consolidating data from multiple entities.
Keep reading
Business
insights your clients need,
when they need them, in the format they need them in.
All in one place.
Fishbowl AI Insights gives your clients full report customization and storyboards with the data and insights they need with the ability for any user to access any piece of data, at any time – just Ask Athena, Fishbowl’s AI Assistant.
Create Custom Reports
Drag and Drop Report Creation
On Demand Insights and Recommendations
Meet Athena
Create custom reports with the exact data and columns needed
Get instant access to data and insights. In Lite, access 100+ preconfigured questions. In Freeflow, access any data, at any time using our powerful LLM
Proactive Insights
Data Newsfeed + Alerts
Get tailored newsfeeds and alerts with relevant insights that provide an eagle eye view of business operations
Predictive Insights
Data-Driven
Recommendations
Identify historical trends to appropriately time orders, predict future demand and avoid stock-outs
The Access Group to acquire US digital guest engagement provider Paytronix
WE’RE THRILLED TO SHARE SOME BIG NEWS—HR PARTNER HAS ONCE AGAIN BEEN RECOGNIZED WITH MULTIPLE G2 AWARDS, AND WE’VE ADDED SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL TO THE LIST: FASTEST IMPLEMENTATION – SMALL BUSINESS.
This new accolade is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team who build and continually improve HR Partner, as well as our outstanding customer success team who ensure every new customer hits the ground running.
The Fastest Implementation award highlights how our powerful technology
and personalized support come together to get customers fully operational in as little as a few hours. Whether you prefer to get up and running on your own or need a helping hand, our customer success specialists are always there to guide you through the process. No lengthy onboarding, no hassle—just quick results that keep your business moving forward.
Our G2 Fall Award-Winning Lineup
In addition to Fastest Implementation, HR Partner continues to shine in key categories:
• Easiest To Do Business With
• High Performer
Chaser launches new seamless integration with Sage 50 to help businesses reduce late payments
CHASER, THE LEADING GLOBAL ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE SAAS PROVIDER, HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW INTEGRATION WITH SAGE 50. THE NEW INTEGRATION EMPOWERS BUSINESSES USING SAGE 50 TO ELIMINATE MANUAL PAYMENT CHASING AND REDUCE OVERDUE INVOICES, HELPING THEM PROTECT CASH FLOW AND BRING REVENUE IN FASTER.
With late payments continuing to affect business growth, this integration addresses a crucial need: 49% of invoices issued by U.S. businesses become overdue (PYMNTS), while 10% of late invoices are ultimately written off as bad debts, resulting in financial strain that affects investments, sup-
plier payments, and payroll (Sage).
Chaser’s integration with Sage 50 provides businesses with a fully automated accounts receivable process, including real-time debtor tracking, intelligently automated payment follow-ups, and comprehensive data insights that remove the burden of time-consuming, manual tasks. Sage 50 users can now streamline their collections workflows, reducing the average of 15 or more days spent each year chasing unpaid invoices (Sage) and helping to ensure that more invoices are paid on time; thus reducing cash flow strains and debt-write offs.
Keep reading
E• High Performer Small Business
• High Performer Asia
• Momentum Leader
• Users Love Us
• Fastest Implementation –Small Business (New!)
What Our Customers Are Saying
“I find it easy to use; changes can be made simply, and the system is not complicated. Implementation was very straightforward and took minimal time. As a daily user of the system, I find it simple to navigate, and if there are ever any problems, customer support is consistent with the fast service they provide.”
Keep reading
ARLIER THIS YEAR WE ANNOUNCED THE FAREWELL OF OUR CLASSIC INVOICING PRODUCT TO PAVE THE WAY FOR SOMETHING NEW, AND TO ALLOW US TO BUILD MORE OF THE INVOICING FEATURES YOU HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR, ON A SINGLE PLATFORM GOING FORWARD. WE’RE CONFIDENT THAT THIS CHANGE IS THE RIGHT MOVE LONGER TERM FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS TO GAIN MORE INVOICING FEATURES FASTER.
That said, we’re approaching a busy time of the year and want to make this transition to new invoicing as smooth as possible. That’s why we’re extending the availability of classic invoicing to 27 February 2025.
And the winners are...
The winners have been announced of the 2024 ICB LUCA Awards. Congratulations to all those shortlisted and all the winners. It truly is a celebration of all that is good about the world bookkeeping.
Bookkeeper Influencer of the Year Sponsored by FreeAgent
Stephanie Marshall FICB PM.Dip
Large Practice of the Year sponsored by TaxCalc
Adder Bookkeeping Ltd
Bookkeeper in Industry Sponsored by Intuit QuickBooks
Elspeth Cordray MICB PM.Dip
Small Practice of the Year Sponsored by IRIS
Kirsty's Counting Services Ltd
Tutor of the Year
Caryl Gibson C.FICB
ICB Branch of the Year
Glasgow
New Practice of the Year Sponsored by Sage
SJ Accountancy Ltd
Payroll Professional of the Year
Lorraine Gransden MICB PM.Dip
Student of the Year
Emilia Goubert MICB PM.Dip, Training Link
The Michael Kintore Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession
Graham Hambley, PQ Magazine
Keep reading
New invoicing updates
We’ve delivered over 30 product updates to the new invoicing product. Check out what’s changed and stay up to date with the new invoicing hub on Xero Central.
Learn new ways of working
We’ve integrated many of the features you love from classic invoicing and have been taking the feedback you’ve provided into the development of new invoicing, and we will continue to add more features to our new platform, before the end of February. However, there will be new workflows to familiarise yourself with so if you need help along the way, our new invoicing education hub is the best place to get started.
As always, your feedback is essential, so please share your thoughts on Xero Product Ideas. Your input ensures new invoicing can continue to meet and we hope, exceed your expectations as we evolve it. Please check out Xero Central for the latest updates and helpful resources.
We’re with you every step of the way
Our new and improved invoicing has been designed to bring you more flexibility and customization options – and help you get paid on time. We’re committed to evolving every product we offer, to create the best experience for our customers now, and into the future.
Find out more
Chaser shortlisted for the CICM's Supplier of the Year Award 2025
THRILLED TO SHARE THAT CHASER HAS BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARD AT THE 2025 CICM BRITISH CREDIT AWARDS, AN ACCOLADE THAT CELEBRATES THE MOST IMPACTFUL PROVIDERS IN CREDIT MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY.
Organized annually by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM), these awards honor standout solutions that support credit teams in managing cash flow, optimizing collections, and reducing bad debt. Chaser’s selection acknowledges its innovative approach to accounts receivable automation, designed to improve efficiency and cash flow predictability for organizations worldwide. Chaser brings automation and AI-driven insights into a single, end-to-end soft-
ware that helps credit management teams streamline their operations and reduce late payments. From automated payment reminders and debtor communications to predictive analytics on debtors, Chaser’s solution is geared toward reducing manual tasks and addressing the core challenges faced by credit management teams.
Automating accounts receivable with precision and efficiency
Since its founding in 2014, Chaser has continuously evolved to address the changing needs of credit teams in a dynamic economic landscape. Today, it offers a comprehensive accounts receivable management solution that supports businesses of all sizes, from SMEs to larger enterprises.
Keep reading
Prepare, adjust and output a trial balance for an unlimited number of clients with AccountsPrep, an add-on to your AutoEntry subscription.
Get started now
The Return-to-Office Debate
Choosing the Right Path for Your Company in 2025
By Debbie Gainsford, HR Partner
NO MATTER WHICH MODEL A COMPANY CHOOSES—WHETHER FULLY IN-OFFICE, HYBRID, OR REMOTE—HAVING THE RIGHT TOOLS IN PLACE, LIKE AN HRIS, IS ESSENTIAL TO MANAGE HR PROCESSES EFFECTIVELY AND MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS
As we head towards 2025, companies are taking a fresh look at the structure of their workplaces.
While some businesses are embracing a full return to the office, others are leaning into hybrid or fully remote models that have proven successful over the past few years. The decision is no longer just about where employees work, but about creating a work environment that supports collaboration, flexibility, and productivity. For many organizations, the key question now is: “What’s the best path forward for our workplace?”
No matter which model a company chooses—whether fully in-office, hybrid, or remote—having the right tools in place is essential to manage HR processes effectively and make informed decisions. An HRIS, such as HR Partner, can be a game-changer by streamlining HR administration and providing valuable insights through reporting on key data points. By centralizing employee information, tracking attendance trends, and measuring engagement levels, HR Partner equips leaders with the data needed to make evidence-based decisions about the ideal work model for their company.
Evaluating the Right Fit for Your Workforce
Major companies like Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs have made headlines by mandating a 5-day-a-week return to the office, arguing that faceto-face interaction fosters collaboration and boosts productivity. However, this approach may not suit every organization. In fact, a recent report from ResumeBuilder.com found that nine out of ten companies will have some form of return-to-office policy by the end of 2024, but many will still embrace hybrid or flexible arrangements.
Choosing the right work model isn’t about following trends—it’s about understanding what aligns with your business needs and employee preferences. The key to navigating this decision lies in assessing factors like workforce demographics, geographic considerations, and company culture, while also leveraging tools like an HRIS to support your chosen approach. With the ability to easily report on metrics such as employee satisfaction, turnover rates, and remote productivity, HR Partner helps organizations make data-driven decisions.
Step 1: Assess Whether Return to Office is Right for Your Workforce
The first step in determining if an RTO policy is suitable for your organization is to identify your “why.” Begin with a deep evaluation of your business needs, workforce composition, and culture. Consider the following questions:
• Demographics: Are your employees predominantly younger, more tech-savvy, or do they have family commitments that make remote work more appealing?
• Geographic Considerations: Do most of your team members live within a reasonable commute to the office, or have they relocated during remote work?
• Nature of Work: Does your business require in-person collaboration, or are your processes and goals achievable with remote or hybrid systems?
• Employee Sentiment: Have you conducted employee surveys or focus groups to assess their preferences? An HRIS can help by easily gathering and reporting survey data, allowing you to track trends over time.
• Cultural Impact: Is in-office interaction crucial to maintaining your company culture, or has remote work actually fostered more inclusivity and flexibility?
• Financial Costs: Will the cost of maintaining an office space outweigh the benefits of returning? Does remote work result in cost savings or productivity boosts for your company?
What works for a company like Amazon may not be the best fit for your business. It’s important to evaluate your unique dynamics and align your decision with the needs of your workforce. Using an HRIS like HR Partner allows for easy analysis of key data points that can guide these choices.
Step 2: Implement Best Practices for Returning to the Office
If a full or partial return to the office aligns with your goals, here are some best practices to guide your transition:
• Set Clear Guidelines for In-Office Days: Establish consistent days for in-office collaboration to ensure teams can maximize face-to-face time. Make sure the time spent in the office is productive and facilitates meaningful interaction.
• Maximize Flexibility: While some companies are opting for five-day office weeks, flexibility is still key. Options like staggered hours or hybrid arrangements help maintain employee satisfaction while meeting in-office requirements.
• Design for Focus and Collaboration: Plan in-office days for activities that benefit from face-to-face interaction, such as team meetings and client presentations, while reserving remote days for tasks requiring deep concentration.
• Move Away from the Traditional 9-to-5 Model: Even with a five-day office week, work schedules don’t need to follow a strict 9-to-5 structure. Consider flexible hours, shorter in-office days, or compressed workweeks.
The Role of HR Partner in Supporting Your Workforce
No matter where your employees are based, managing HR processes effectively is crucial to keeping your team engaged and productive. An HRIS like HR Partner can simplify HR management, providing a cloud-based platform that works seamlessly for office-based, hybrid, and remote teams.
Keep reading
From Paper to Pixels: The Journey to a Paperless Accounting Future
Learn how ExpenseOnDemand and Xero are driving the transition to paperless accounting, boosting the efficiency of businesses and reducing environmental impact.
By Sidd Nigam, Director, Expense On Demand
MORE AND MORE BUSINESSES ARE RECOGNISING THE LIMITATIONS OF TRADITIONAL PAPER-BASED RECEIPT MANAGEMENT AND ARE TRANSITIONING TOWARDS DIGITAL SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE EFFICIENCY, PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, AND DRIVE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OPERATIONS.
At the forefront of this transition to digital expense reporting is ExpenseOnDemand, which, in partnership with Xero, is making great strides in creating a world where accounting is paperless.
Let’s see how.
Protecting the Environment
If you haven’t given much thought to the waste generated by paper receipts, the statistics can be shocking. In the UK, over 11.2 billion paper receipts are printed each year
That’s equivalent to 200,000 trees being cut down and 10,640 tonnes of paper waste.
By making it possible (and more efficient) to use digital receipts for expense management, ExpenseOnDemand is actively decreasing paper consumption and waste generation, positively contributing to the preservation of the environment.
By relying more on digital receipts and digital expense reports through solutions like ExpenseOnDemand,
accountants become less reliant on paper-based practices, significantly reducing carbon emissions associated with printing, shipping and disposal of paper receipts.
ExpenseOnDemand is also promoting eco-friendly practices across its user base, with features like carbon footprint tracking. With ExpenseOnDemand, users can designate expense categories for carbon footprint monitoring and can also track carbon emissions associated with mileage expenses, helping businesses stay eco-minded and committed to sustainability.
Driving Efficiency Gains
While protecting the environment is of course essential, the reality is that businesses will be slow to adopt eco-friendly solutions if they don’t increase their bottom line. Fortunately, digital receipt management with ExpenseOnDemand improves efficiency too
ExpenseOnDemand streamlines the entire process from receipt and expense report submission to expense approvals and reimbursement. Expense management automation can reduce expense processing time by up to 60%, and can also reduce errors that come with manually organising paper receipts.
Paper receipts are also easy to lose and prone to physical damage and fading. Digital receipts, on the other hand, can be stored safely and securely, and through ExpenseOnDemand’s inte-
gration with Xero, digital receipts can sync directly to a client’s existing accounting system. Integration with Xero also provides real-time data insights, enabling proactive decision-making and financial management.
Overall, expense management software saves time for employees so they can focus on driving growth and innovation in the business.
Creating a Sustainable Business Model
The adoption of expense management software is also leading to more sustainable business models. For example, digital receipt management significantly reduces paper usage, reducing costs associated with printing and paper. One telling report found that the cost of processing expense claims can be reduced by as much as 78% per transaction with an automated expense management system.
With ExpenseOnDemand and Xero integration, businesses can track expenses in real-time to make sure they are up-to-date and accurate. ExpenseOnDemand also minimises human error by automating data entry and updates.
ExpenseOnDemand’s approval workflows can ensure that only valid business expenses are approved by accounting. Proper compliance can ensure you maximise your tax deductions and are thoroughly prepared in the case of an audit.
Keep reading
Starling launches new in-app tool to combat bank impersonation
WTARLING BANK HAS LAUNCHED A NEW TOOL TO HELP CUSTOMERS IDENTIFY AND PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST BANK IMPERSONATION SCAMS.
The ‘call status indicators’ will instantly let customers know if they’re receiving a genuine call from Starling at that very moment. That way, they will know for sure if a scammer is on the phone, trying to persuade them to make a payment.
The indicators will also indicate if Starling has never called them or will give information on when the bank last called them.
Despite 84% of UK adults being aware of bank impersonation scams, it still accounts for around £78.9 million of losses per year1. A bank impersonation scam occurs when a fraudster urges a bank customer to transfer money into a ‘safe account’, usually as a result of a fabricated compromise of their bank account.
Starling Bank has developed a tool to give customers peace of mind and reduce fraud losses. In an industry first move, the call status indicators will be visible on the home screen and within the payment screenwhere a customer would be looking if they were being
pressured into transfering funds.
When someone opens the Starling app to make a payment, they will see one of the following messages:
“We’ve never called you”, “We’re calling you now”, “You’re on a call with Starling”, “We aren’t calling you” or “No recent calls [including information on when we last spoke with you]”.
Sarah Lenette, Financial Crime Specialist at Starling Bank, said: “We’re constantly looking for new ways to stop scammers in their tracks.”
Keep reading
Sharesight product updates – November 2024
AS I INDICATED IN LAST MONTH'S UPDATE, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A NEW REPORTING FUNCTION WHICH I’M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE WAS ROLLED OUT TO ALL EXPERT AND BUSINESS CUSTOMERS ON OUR BETA PROGRAM.
This new drawdown risk report is our first major foray into the risk space. The report allows you to see your annualised total return alongside the maximum drawdown (MDD) of each of your investments or group of investments. The report also provides a simple ratio for each investment highlighting a form of risk-adjusted return as well as featuring a powerful, interactive graph.
We chose MDD as our first risk metric as it highlights clearly the potential loss of an investment, based on what has occurred previously. It is also a difficult value to calculate in that you need the full price history of an instrument and you need to recalculate on a daily basis. Un-
Big Red Cloud partners with GoCardless to streamline payments for accountants and SMEs
GOCARDLESS, THE BANK PAYMENT COMPANY, HAS EXPANDED ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH BIG RED CLOUD. THE CLOUD ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE COMPANY, WHICH IS AN EXISTING GOCARDLESS CUSTOMER, WILL NOW BECOME ONE OF ITS 350+ PARTNERS BY INTEGRATING GOCARDLESS’ PAYMENT CAPABILITIES INTO ITS PLATFORM.
This means Big Red Cloud customers can use Direct Debit to automatically collect and reconcile recurring payments from their own clients directly within Big Red Cloud. In addition to helping accountants and SMEs reduce late payments and bad debt, this will also free up time so they can focus on client-facing activities.
ment feature, Instant Bank Pay. This will provide accountants an alternative for instant, one-off payments without the high fees associated with traditional card transactions.
Marc O’Dwyer, CEO at Big Red Cloud says, “We’re really pleased to be expanding our relationship with GoCardless. As a happy customer that already uses GoCardless for our own business, it was a natural step for us to look at how we could bring these benefits to our customers, which is why we explored this partnership model.
first-hand how it revolutionises the payment experience for the better.”
Jolawn Victor, Chief Growth Officer at GoCardless, said: “We believe accountants should be successful because of the valuable advice and services they provide to clients. Building on our relationship with Big Red Cloud enables us to bring faster, cheaper and more secure payments to our joint merchants and their customers, freeing up time for accountants who can take payments off their list and get back to serving their clients.”
less you have an abundance of spare time, most investors are unlikely to go to this effort. This is where Sharesight comes in.
I’m excited by the new report and what we may explore next in the risk space, depending on the feedback we receive from this first endeavour. You can find the new report under the Asset allocation section of the reports page. To join our beta program, navigate to Account > Account preferences and toggle the ‘Enable beta features’ setting. You can visit our drawdown risk report help page to find out more.
New functionality / enhancements
• Optimised our instrument search results when searching on instrument names, not just on symbols
• Added support for another 11 cryptocurrencies including FUN, GMTT, HOT, IOTX, ONE, OSMO, SLP, SXP, HEX, PLS and POLYX
• Modernised our Log in
• Rolled out our new drawdown risk report to expert and business customers on our beta program.
Broker import functionality
• Added support for the seamless import of historical and future Fidelity Investments (US) trades using Snaptrade
• Added trade confirmation support for JP Morgan (US)
• New broker support for:
• Firstrade
• Canaccord Genuity
• Coinspot
• Expanded support for the following brokers to include additional trade file imports;
• Avanza – Support for the inkopskurs file
• Independent Reserve –OrderStatement file
• Jarden Direct – Movements and Holdings files
• Nabtrade – OrderHistory and TradingHoldings files.
Keep reading
Later this year, Big Red Cloud will add GoCardless’ open banking-powered pay-
“Our goal is to simplify financial management for accountants, and a large part of that is making sure they have access to the latest payment technology. By partnering with innovators like GoCardless, we’re able to deliver – and we know
The partnership strengthens GoCardless’ position in the accounting sector, building on existing integrations with a number of major players in the space.
Find out more and Sign up pages
PayPal Unveils Innovative Money Pooling Feature, Simplifying Group Expenses Between Family and Friends
TODAY, PAYPAL ANNOUNCED A NEW EXPERIENCE THAT GIVES CUSTOMERS AN EASY WAY TO POOL MONEY WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR GROUP GIFTS, TRAVEL, SPECIAL EVENTS OR OTHER SHARED EXPENSES.
Rolling out globally across the US, Germany, Italy and Spain, the new experience gives customers the ability to set up a pool in the PayPal app or online, invite friends and family to contribute, track group contributions and transfer funds to their PayPal balance to spend or withdraw.
"Everyday life is all about connections, whether it's
chipping in for a group gift or planning a trip with friends and family. PayPal understands this and aims to make those moments easier," said John Anderson, GM, SVP of Consumer at PayPal.
"We're excited to introduce a simple, no-cost solution for collecting and managing funds for group purchases, helping our customers navigate both the social and financial aspects of their lives with each."
According to a 2024 PayPal survey, consumers in the US pooled money for group purchases approximately 86 million times last year with some of the popular use cases being
group-funded gifts, group travel, and special events like concerts or sporting events.
Customers can set up a pool for free in the PayPal app and contribute to an existing pool at no cost using their PayPal balance or linked bank account.
Pool organizers can invite any friend or family member to contribute to their pool, whether they have a PayPal account or not. Pool organizers will also be able to transfer the collected funds to their PayPal balance and instantly spend with PayPal or transfer funds to a linked bank account.
Find out more