Every September, the same thing happens across finance and accounts teams in the North West.
People come back from holiday, the out-of-office replies switch off, and the workload that was manageable in July is suddenly a backlog. It’s predictable. It happens every year. And most businesses still don’t plan for it.
Why do finance and accounts teams feel this more than other departments?
Finance and accounts work runs on deadlines that don’t move for anyone’s holiday. Month-end close, quarter reporting, supplier payments — none of it pauses because half the team was out in August. When a role sits unfilled or a team member is stretched thin going into September, the backlog doesn’t just sit there. It compounds, right as the deadlines that matter most start landing.
What does an unfilled finance and accounts role actually cost?
It’s rarely just the salary you’re saving by not filling it. The real cost shows up as:
- Errors that slip through because someone’s covering two roles at once
- Reporting that’s late, which affects decisions further up the business
- Overtime and burnout in the people picking up the slack
- A permanent hire search that takes even longer because it’s now urgent, not planned
Most SME finance directors underestimate this cost because it’s spread across a few different budget lines rather than sitting in one obvious place.
Is temporary cover a compromise?
Not if it’s done properly. The mistake we see most often is treating temporary staff as a stopgap — someone to hold the fort until “a proper hire” comes along. That’s the wrong way to think about it. A temporary finance professional, properly screened and matched to the role, should be able to walk in and do the job to the same standard as a permanent hire from week one. If they can’t, the problem isn’t temporary staffing — it’s how the temporary staffing was sourced.
What should good short-term cover look like?
- The same screening and reference-checking as a permanent hire
- A clear brief on what the role actually needs, not just a job title
- Someone with relevant sector experience, not a generalist filling a gap
- A start date that fits your timeline, not the recruiter’s
What to do next
If your finance and accounts team is already feeling the September squeeze, the sooner you act, the less it costs you. We place finance and accounts professionals across the North West, from short-term cover through to permanent hires — talk to us about what’s landing on your desk right now.
