Accountants: 5 ways to stop stress ruining your summer holiday 

See if this sounds familiar: 

The plane takes off. You feel a familiar jump in your stomach as its nose lifts and gravity pulls you into your seat. 

Behind you – rapidly getting smaller – is the UK and its disappointing weather. Ahead of you is a sunny beach, stunning sights and fantastic restaurants. 

So, why can’t you stop worrying about work? 

Turns out you’re not alone 

If the above sounds like you, you’re part of the majority. About 64% of people say work-related anxieties impacted their last ‘stress-relieving’ getaway. 

And they expect stress to have the same impact on their next holiday. 

How do you fix this holiday stress? 

There is some advice, but it means doing something NOW. 

Preventing holiday stress caused by work requires building a so-called ‘off-ramp’. This means clearing tasks or handing them to others in the days and weeks leading up to your break.  

Here are our five tips for achieving this.  

But we don’t stop there. With point #4, we’ll also look at a very practical way of adding further peace of mind. 

Tip #1: Fly through your to-do list before you go 

It’s fair to assume you don’t want to drop extra work on your fellow accountants where possible. So, what tasks can you tackle before you go away? 

It’s time to examine what’s on your to-do list. You need to prioritise, plan ahead, and be realistic about what you can get done. 

That means ensuring that the jobs with the tightest deadlines are handled first. Then, you focus on the ones that might prove problematic. Take things as far to completion as you can. 

If anything’s likely to rear its head while you’re thousands of miles away, it’s good to brief your colleagues about these jobs as soon as possible. That way, they can ask anything while you’re at work – and not text while you’re resting by the pool. 

How can great, automated accounting software help? 

On average, people save 22 hours per month using IRIS solutions. 

Thanks to software like IRIS Elements and IRIS Accountancy Suite, you can bring client data together into a ‘single source of truth’ and automate jobs 

The result? Better accuracy and the opportunity to get more done.  

As accoutant Rebecca Williams says: “I’m saving at least 30 minutes per subcontractor being introduced to IRIS Elements. I’ve been able to streamline my processes indefinitely because of the way that Elements is set up, it’s clear as to what has been included in the self-assessment returns and any supplementary pages needed can be added quickly. 

The centralised database also means authorised colleagues can see what has to be done before you go on holiday – and those covering for you can access this data as you hand work over. 

Tip #2: Clear time-sapping client work off your list entirely 

Some tasks take up a lot of time and are not lucrative, and they don’t add any value to your clients.  

We all accept these jobs need doing, but we do so knowing they don’t improve your client’s strategy or your bottom line. 

We’re talking about tasks like payroll, which, if you agree to do them, are a constant burden. This is especially true if you want to provide services like advisory. 

So, how do you get these jobs off your plate and spend more quality time with clients before you jet off? 

Outsource, outsource, outsource 

Any-sized accountancy can expand temporarily or long-term with the help of a good outsourcing service. 

IRIS has been doing outsourcing work for more than two decades. We have more than 600 qualified professionals who can help with your payroll, accounting or audits – and happy customers.

Tip#3: Don’t let sensitive work come back to haunt you 

Getting jobs done quickly is one thing. Ensuring the most sensitive processes are properly taken care of is another. 

Take, for example, compliance tasks like Anti-Money Laundering (AML). 

Not only do you have to get it right, but you also have to track things carefully as you reach out for details, collect them, check everything, and (if required) ask for clarifications. 

And the legal pain of getting this wrong means, of course, a hefty fine and an email you definitely don’t want while you’re on a break. 

What good compliance software looks like 

Good compliance software keeps track of everything. Great compliance software does the busywork, too – sending reminders and making it clear to everyone in your firm where each task is up to. 

To continue with our example of AML, our software also does things like: 

• Keep the process aligned with a ‘Know Your Client’ checklist  

• Make things easy on your clients with portals where they can share information 

• Let you request information in bulk  

• Quickly uncover suspicious activity and compile this in reports 

• Ensure you can drive regular risk assessments 

Tip #4: Lock the ‘backdoor’ 

You make sure your house is locked when you go away; the same must go for your business and its systems. 

Half of businesses recently suffered a breach or attack in the last year, and you don’t want to be one of the low-hanging fruit for these hackers. The UK Government says each breach costs medium and large businesses about £10,830. 

To put your mind at rest, you need good cyber hygiene. That means internal policies for passwords and next-level infrastructure that backs up and protects your data. 

Put your whole system on the cloud (and under virtual ‘lock and key’) 

IRIS Anywhere lets you take your whole system and put it on state-of-the-art servers, ensuring you can access it from any internet-enabled device. 

Because we provide you with a service that uses remote servers, you never have to worry about on-site infrastructure going out of date again. Instead, your whole system is protected by regular improvements.  

Security measures include: 

• Complete device and data encryption 

• Single sign-on (SSO) and multifactor authentication (MFA) 

• Advanced anti-virus and anti-phishing controls 

• Remote wiping capabilities in case devices are lost or stolen 

• Vigilant, remote security risk monitoring by IRIS. 

Tip #5: Remember you’re never alone 

You’ve probably realised that to get your software, outsourcing, compliance solutions and cloud systems right, you might need some advice. 

That’s where our team of software and services experts come in. We can talk to you about what you want and then ensure that what you get is put in place quickly and made to measure. 

Wherever you go on holiday, don’t give stress a free ride. 

Talk to our experts today – they will help you speed things up and drop time-draining duties. Instead, you can enjoy outstanding automation, brilliant outsourcing, top-notch compliance and state-of-the-art security. 

Oh, and you can also enjoy your holiday when it arrives!