- "In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably…and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us."
Alex Tanner, George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd - "Bird Luckin has looked after us incredibly well for over 60 years, they are pro-active and innovational - meeting all our needs to help us achieve our aims."
Richard Stubbings, Cliffords Limited - "I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!"
Colin Webb, Walthamstow Stadium - "It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support."
Jane Bennett, Bennetts Funeral Directors - "Although we deal mainly with one Partner … we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily"
Jeremy Ruggles, J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd - "Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks"
Matthew Sullivan, SNC Ltd - "You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference.""
Robert Church, W A Church (Bures) Ltd - "The work which Bird Luckin has done for Boddingtons over the past few months has helped shape our future direction for the better."
John Warner, Chief Executive, Boddingtons Ltd - "Bird Luckin has acted for us since our inception 10 years ago. They have a very 'can do' yet highly professional attitude - we are very appreciative of their support and advice over the years."
Marlon Fox, Outlook Property Ltd
Exit interviews
Progressive employers want to understand why people leave their business and what they can reasonably do to prevent similar departures in the future.
One way to do this is to ask everyone who leaves to take part in an exit interview. It might be the most useful hour of human resource management you ever spend.
If possible, exit interviews should be held on the day the employee is leaving. This minimises any awkwardness their honesty might cause.
A good interview will allow you to receive a full and frank opinion on improvements that need to be made for that employee's successor, as well as general opinions on the business and management style.
Some employees will take the opportunity to criticise everything about the business, their colleagues, and possibly you, but a well-structured exit interview will allow you to see through this and focus on the positive lessons to be learned.
Conducting the interview will also signal to your remaining employees that you take personnel issues seriously and want to improve things for everyone.
Exit interviews should remain confidential; otherwise employees who leave in the future might be discouraged from being frank with you. However, if you feel you have learnt something of value and want to make appropriate changes, you should communicate these to your staff as soon as possible. Among other things, this will help to alleviate any feelings of insecurity the departure might have generated in them.