Sage Blog

With almost half of the Whitley Bay FC squad employed by us here at Sage UK, we’re  backing the blues at Wembley’s FA Vase showdown with Coalville Town on Sunday.

l-r Ian Chandler, Paul Robinson, Craig McFarlane

It’s not just the knobbly knees that are unusual about Whitley Bay’s FA Vase squad – almost half of the team are employed Sage. Five of our people – including three players, the manager and the coach – are going for glory in Whitley Bay’s FA Vase cup quest on Sunday. Ian Chandler (Club Manager), Gavin Fell (Club coach) Paul Robinson (midfield maestro at WB FC), Craig McFarlane (mister versatile) and Craig Smith (centre half) have worked at Sage UK for a total of 28 years between them and are partial to a few penalty shoot outs on our five aside pitch at North Park.

It’s safe to say there are over 2,300 excited people here at North Park and beyond who will all be gunning for Whitley Bay to bring home the trophy on Sunday. Reaching the finals for the third year in succession is a huge achievement in itself, but for Sage to have as many as five employees supporting the clubs quest for the title is even better. We’re extremely proud of Ian, Gavin, Paul, Craig and Craig – all of whom will do Sage proud at Wembley.”

We spoke to Ian Chandler, Manager of Whitley Bay FC and TAS Support Team Manager at Sage UK and he said: “We’re over the moon to be on for a fourth Vase triumph and are looking forward to another gripping match at Wembley where we hope to do the North East proud. It’s not often you find so many players working together in the office as well as out on the pitch, but it’s a real honour to work with the guys so closely. We spend so much time together that I’m starting to think I see them more than I do my own wife, who also works here at Sage!”

As one of the biggest employers in the North East, Sage UK employs over 1600 people at our North Park office in Gosforth and a further 700 people across our other offices in the UK.  As well as sponsoring Whitley Bay’s training kit, the company will also be putting on a ‘Sage bus’ to transport lucky employees down to Wembley to support their colleagues in the clash against the Midlands Coalville Town.

Howay the lads!

Lisa Graveling

PR Team (and football newbie)

No matter what size or type of business, from a high street florist to a multi million pound engineering company, your biggest asset is your people. Your people are critical to the success of your business and at Sage we follow these rules from getting the right employment law and HR advice, to building trust.

Rule 1 – Get the right people on the bus

Start as you mean to go on. Recruiting the right people with the right skills is essential. Set yourself up for success by deciding on the exact type of candidates you want to attract and settling for nothing less.

Rule 2 – Teamwork

It’s no use hiring talented people if they won’t work as team. Employing people who fit your culture can be just as important as hiring those with the right skill set. Some people may not suit the atmosphere and feel of your business and it can affect motivation and productivity. Consider introducing candidates to the rest of the team informally to see how they get on.

Rule 3 – Ask if you have the right people in the right places every six months

Every business goes through periods of evolution and change. Sometimes it’s organic, but sometimes you should make changes to increase your business’ effectiveness. Are any talent gaps forming, or are someone’s skills not being fully realised?

Rule 4 – Create the right framework and your team will be self-organising

Set clear goals and ensure each individual has a job description and knows their role, and the role of other teams, within the business as a whole. How they interact is crucial in your overall efficiency.

Rule 5 – Empower your people

Give your people the tools to do the job themselves. You’ve hired them for a reason and they will often appreciate your trust in them to fulfill their role. That said, always let them know they can come to you with concerns.

Rule 6 – Clear the route for your people so they can do their job

Take the time to ask your people if there are any issues stopping them from achieving their potential within their roles. Ask for honesty and be prepared to make changes if you need to.

Rule 7 – Trust

Open and honest discussions with your team can get the best out of everyone. If you’re facing issues, get them out in the open and work as a team to overcome them. It’s a cliché, but you really can’t buy respect or trust.

Rule 8 – Celebrate your team’s success

It’s always worth thanking your team for a job well done, and celebrating success as often as possible. Even if cash bonuses aren’t in the budget, sincere thanks and appreciation are valuable tools in forging strong bonds within your business.

Rule 9 – Be prepared to lose your best people as they grow

It’s inevitable that the career paths of some individuals may take them out of your business. Remember that no-one is irreplaceable, and make sure that no processes are reliant on just one person, in case they ever leave.

Rule 10 – If you need advice, make sure you know where to get support

HR and employment law is a large and complex area. Sage People Advice can help. We’ve got flexible options, from a single phone call to a 12-month contract to help support you with any employment queries. For more information call us on 0845 111 2450.

Matt Forrest, Small Business Team

Getting To Know Your Team

Jayne Archbold, MD Sage Accountants' Division

After starting my new role as MD for Sage Accountants’ Division on 5^th October, the first month was a challenging one in that I still had a lot to hand over in my previous role with commitments to our people and customers, so October was a tricky time trying to balance everything, be everywhere (multiple locations across the UK) and keeping my desire to throw myself into the new role with gusto. 

However I’ve lived to tell the tale.  To ensure the future success for Accountants’ Division, people for me are the most important element, if we treat our people right, they’re engaged and passionate then they will provide a great experience for our customers and in turn deliver profit for our shareholders.  So getting to know my team was the first priority on my agenda in the new role.

The first thing I did was meet individually with my direct reports, getting to know them as real people and not just the job, and sharing with them who I am as a person not just the MD.  Some were a little surprised at this.  Once I’d had some insight into my direct reports I then met with their direct reports in functional teams and I asked them some simple questions:

• What do you like about working for Accountants Division?
• What don’t you like or would make it a better place to work?

in addition to sharing with them my work experience and gave them a feel for who I am as a person.  I then repeated this with their direct reports and by mid November I’d met with virtually everyone within the business.  The information I gained from this was invaluable; it’s helped me review our business plan and reprioritise on the things that are really important to our people.

So what are the top tips for getting to know your team?

1. Be yourself

Share who you are as an individual, not just the job, ensuring people really get a feel for what you stand for, your values and beliefs and the things that are important to you, make sure you’re transparent when doing this

2. Listen

Really listen to your team, make sure you actively listen to everything, the name of their children, the dog, their fears, hopes and dreams, basically start to build a relationship by understanding the things that are important to them. People have a personal life, they may be having a bad time outside of work and this will get transmitted to colleagues and customers. 

 3. Involve

Involve people, don’t pay lip service.  Have rich and invigorating conversations.  If they’re involved then you start to build the team.

 4. Share your vision

Be clear on your own vision, and the objectives, so that people know what they’re aiming for and what to expect.   

 5. Set direction

Provide feedback, and give people the space to perform.  Be there to offer support.

 6. Role model

Make sure you’re a role model, that you demonstrate what you believe in, don’t ever ask people to do things that you’re not willing to do yourself.  This sets the foundations of how you operate

 7. Visibility

Make sure you’re visible and accessible, have a clear visible agenda, everyone should know the vision and how we’ll get there.

 8. Get to know your customers

Treat your customers as you would your people, see them as part of the team.

9. Remove

Review any barriers to achieving your vision, this means stopping doing activities that don’t form part of the plan, this might include people too, give them the opportunity to work on things but be clear about the consequences if they don’t or can’t.  

10. Celebrate success

Recognise & acknowledge people.  Thank them.  Celebrate achievements and have fun.  Positive reward generates positive behaviour.

Jayne Archbold, Managing Director Sage Accountants Division