When a survey identified that staff needed exercise to keep them fit and healthy while working from home, accounting and business advisory firm, Ellacotts, organised a virtual Summer World Tour which involved teams “travelling” from its head office in Banbury to Sydney in Australia. Over three months employees combined distances walked, run or cycled to work their way through countries to the other side of the world with weekly competitions and activities including photo montages of countries “visited”.

Founded in 1960, Ellacotts employs more than 100 people across its Banbury, Kettering and London offices and provides accounting services and business advice with niche specialisms in areas including agriculture, academies and charities.

As a training practice - trainee accountants make up around 20% of its workforce - employee development is paramount and Ellacotts' comprehensive programme puts theory into practice. Unusually client relationships are not led predominantly by the firm's partners with Ellacotts actively delegating and encouraging more junior staff and even trainees to get involved in complex and challenging queries and to develop strong links with clients.

The independent firm's five core values: Progressive, Teamwork, Integrity, Focussed and Enthusiastic are woven into the fabric of the firm and demonstrated in its response to the pandemic from the swift rollout of laptops and Bluetooth headsets to its plan for offices to become collaborative meeting spaces rather than workplaces.

Weekly team catch-up meetings start with social activities where individuals can find out about each other, cementing relationships and supporting new starters.