IRIS Interviews

One of the Department For Education's Trust Quality Description Pillars sets out expectations for trusts to create a culture of continuous improvement. Cleary defined in this pillar is the need for an effective strategy to maintain the performance of existing schools and improve the performance of new ones that join the trust. Key to delivering improvement is being able to implement a centralised...

Working environments have always been places of mixed culture, age and opinion. But as older generations return to work and Gen Z enters the workforce, how does an organisation ensure unity? A tendency exists to treat workers based on generational stereotypes rather than facts, taking a blanket approach, but workplace demographic shifts more polarised than ever before, In this podcast, Jessica Zwa...

What is driving the boom in the accountancy space? The bookkeeper! The role of the bookkeeper has expanded to being almost identical to the accountant, taking a much more entrepreneurial approach to their service. Gone are the days of only keeping the books. Thanks to advancements in technology, unqualified employees can also process bookkeeping data making it more attractive to set up a bookkeepi...

Workers are less emotionally invested and they put up with very little. In a candidates’ market, there's no room for poor management or uninspiring workplaces. This is a huge challenge in the accountancy sector. If you find a suitable candidate, you might not be able to keep them.  With this in mind, innovative firms are rethinking the resources they need and are looking elsewhere for talent....

There's no question that the hype around AI has re-invigorated the conversation around technology in accountancy and the value that connected data and analytics can bring in. There are a host of potential benefits from implementing AI, many of which revolve around automating costly, lengthy and mundane tasks. This podcast explores the areas where AI has the potential to empower accountants to chan...

Within Multi-Academy Trusts, the executive leadership team is accountable for effectively implementing the trust strategy and operating plan - deciding where to dedicate resources and how best to drive impact.  It’s about creating a culture of ethical leadership and ensuring the team is made up of those with the necessary expertise.  But what qualities are needed for a successful leaders...

Open, honest and collaborative communication has become the norm with topics such as social justice issues and mental health spoken about far more.    As a result, managers need to adopt a more intimate and personalised approach to keep employees united as a single community, using data to understand what is and isn’t working. In this podcast Joey Price, CEO of Jumpstart: HR and Stephanie Coward,...

The talent crisis seems to be going nowhere and pressure is still on HR to bring people in and add resources to overworked teams.  However, the recruitment process is incredibly time-consuming – from job descriptions to candidate matching – limiting how much can actually be achieved. So, how can HR teams (and business owners) improve their recruitment efforts, and fill their desperately needed rol...

Britain is less productive than most ‘Group of Seven’ economies. Figures show the UK generates £46.92 of output per hour, compared to £58.88 in the US, £55.83 in Germany and £55.50 in France. Conversely, the UK is now the second-largest data producer in the world and academics have described data as the fuel of the economies of the future.​ In this podcast, Steve Cox, Director of Business Intellig...

Generative AI has taken the world of work by storm, perhaps being the biggest technological change we’ve ever seen. But how does such a robotic tool fit into the world of people management? Well, we’re seeing mass innovation in the recruitment space, with many tech and HR experts predicting AI will revolutionise the way we use employee data, opening up far more opportunities for enhanced employee...

Does a specific department have high churn? Is an employee struggling to meet objectives? Are hybrid workers performing better?​ There are endless HR questions and endless ways to make a bigger impact, but one thing is needed: good data. Data has the power to catalyse the effectiveness of your people management and create a happier and more engaged workforce. In this podcast, Steph Kelly, Chief Pe...

The pandemic created mass disruption, requiring quick reactions and the need for both business leaders and employees to be innovative. Since returning to some level of normality, the new way of working we were promised where people would have greater freedom, better usage of new technology and more opportunity to be daring seems to have ground to a halt, trapping many in a monotonous cycle, result...

Headlines have been dominated by trends such as the great resignation, quiet quitting and quiet firing ! But these trends are far from new; In fact, quiet quitting simply used to be known as coasting and quiet firing was called constructive dismissal. So, why are we suddenly seeing the headlines dominated? Managing Director for HCM, Stephanie Coward, speaks with Coach, Author, Speaker and Founder...

A session exploring how we might measure trust performance in light of the dropping of the Schools Bill, which was due to firm up the regulation of MATs. Tom Kershaw, Education Market Specialist at IRIS Software Group, interviews Dr Christopher Mansell, who has been through one of Ofsted’s MAT Summary Evaluations, which are being conducted to try to establish some kind of regulatory framework.

Finding your feet in the business world can be challenging. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the workforce, it can be difficult dealing with unconscious biases, progression barriers and stereotypes. In this podcast, Senior Market Specialist at IRIS Software Group, Bev Flanagan, and Partner at Hg, Dawn Marriott, share their experiences, providing tangible advice on how to thrive in...

A stereotype exists in the industry, claiming accountants are stale, male and pale. Is this view correct, and is it why the industry has been struggling with talent? Communications Business Partner, Anthony Wolny, speaks with our CEO, Elona Mortimer-Zhika, and Senior Market Specialist, Bev Flanagan, exploring their thoughts on the topic and delving into their experiences in the industry.

Despite challenges such as almost forty-year high inflation rates and the increasing cost of living, some businesses are moving forward with optimism, with plans to grow and thrive. But relying on the ways of yesterday could hold your business back from seeing tomorrow. Head of Market Insights, Steve Cox, and Author, Keynote Speaker and Business Owner, Carl Reader, offer guidance and advice on gro...

Whether you like them or not, timesheets hold a lot of weight in the accountancy industry. Some accountants have ditched them, claiming it's the best thing they've ever done, while others swear by them. Our Accountancy Market Specialist, Bev Flanagan, and Mentor & Coach, Reza Hooda, share their thoughts on timesheets, offering guidance on how firms can update their way of working.

How can centralisation be used by Trusts to make budgets go further? What are the pitfalls to avoid? Which functions are best suited to a centralised model? Tom Kershaw, Education Market Specialist at IRIS Software Group, and Jeff Marshall, Managing Director at J&G Marshall Ltd & Advisory Board at MATA, delve into the topic of centralisation, offering tangible advice and guidance.

Getting your pricing right is tough. Pricing by the hour is undoubtedly outdated; instead, accountants need to start pricing by the value provided. But where do you start? Our Accountancy Market Specialist, Bev Flanagan, and Mentor & Coach, Reza Hooda, tackle common worries and offer tangible advice.

Unconscious biases, stereotypes, personal responsibilities, career barriers. There are challenges and hurdles we all face on a day-to-day – the world of work can be tough. Our CEO, Elona Mortimer-Zhika and Senior Market Specialist, Bev Flanagan, share their personal experiences and what it’s like to be women in business; however, as discussed in the podcast, Elona and Bev’s advice isn’t only appli...

With the Government’s vision for all schools to be part of a MAT by 2030, it poses the question: is there capacity or even a desire for this change? Our Education Market Specialist, Tom Kershaw, and Former Cabinet minister in the Labour Government and member of the Privy Council and the House of Lords, Lord Jim Knight, delve into this topic, sharing their thoughts and advice.

While reports show the value of the £ increasing and that half of SMEs expect to grow this quarter, inflation still remains at a nearly 40-year high, with the cost of living continuing to rise. What can businesses do to ride the current recession and come out the other end stronger than before? While economic uncertainty has placed untold pressure on businesses for some time now, with the right mi...

THE HUMAN SOURCE — a podcast for tomorrow’s HR and Payroll professionals. What can you put in place to engage staff at a more meaningful level to ensure they deliver on what the business needs them to? Our dynamic duo, Stephanie Kelly, Chief People Officer, IRIS Software Group, and Stephanie Coward, Managing Director, IRIS Software Group, bestow their many years of experience in the HR field with...

ACCOUNTED FOR — a podcast for the future-fit accountant. Accounting roles rank in the top seven positions that are hardest to fill, making candidates more in-demand than ever. People have more choices and if the talent shortage hasn’t bitten you just yet, it will. To remain competitive in an increasingly crowded sector, accountants and bookkeepers need to work hard to meet the needs of staff. Stev...