Tom Caldow

“For the five years I’ve worked at Grant Thornton, I’ve progressively gotten further away from the city and to the firm’s credit they’ve just let me take up flexible working and run with it,” Tom said.

“Pre-COVID-19 I was probably in the office between four and eight days a fortnight, but I think the plan going forward will be fewer office days because people are more used to it now, and I’ve proven it can work.

“There was some learning in the beginning as it was less common, and the technology was certainly not as efficient as it is now. So, there were challenges initially but for me that flexibility was critical given my commute.

“I also don’t do lot of purely client facing things and that’s another reason why I think it works for me. My face-to-face time is my business development time, so I design my week to suit what I need to do.”

Tom says that sitting at his desk from 8:30am to 5:00pm is just “not the way life is now”. He also believes that being an early adopter helped him during the early months of COVID-19.

“I feel like I was more prepared than most to work remotely. Everyone has caught up now and many are obviously enjoying it. The way I structure my time is certainly still to maximise efficiency, both from a work and a life perspective.

“When I had the long commute, the ability to play more sport was something I struggled with. Now, I play tennis at six o'clock on a Friday night. I would never have been able to commit to that three years ago.

“And you know, I can just shut the laptop at four o'clock on Wednesday and do something with the family or go and play nine holes of golf. So from that personal perspective, it’s been really good as well.”

But the flexible arrangements are not the only things that Tom appreciates about Grant Thornton.

Tom says he felt from the very first conversation that he wasn’t a quick fix to fill a vacancy.

“One of the things that was said to me during the interview was, you know, we've been looking for the right person for a while and we think you're it…and that sets off those endorphins, doesn't it?” Tom said.

“But even before that there were differences compared to other firms I spoke with. I was based in Adelaide at the time, and they invited me into their local office for the interview – it felt instantly inclusive.

“I felt like they have a long-term vision and it’s something that I can be a part of.”

For Tom, life at Grant Thornton is an environment where individuals are fostered to be part of a team – a team that is inclusive of colleagues across all areas of the firm and feeds the firm’s attitude to client experience.

“Everyone is working together to provide a solution for the client – and not just any client, but the right clients. To the firm’s credit they are willing to turn down work if they feel they aren’t best placed to help that client.

“As someone who is more traditionally about ‘win the work, we’ll work out how to do it later’ that was an eye-opener. It’s just not the philosophy here. It’s almost empathetic in approach – we want to provide the best version of ourselves to the clients we can most help.”

As someone who works across several cities, he also appreciates that Grant Thornton is a unified national practice.

“It makes it easier to take advantage of opportunities that arise. Its far easier to take a secondment in a different state. Or if you want to move to a different city, you don’t have to find a new job – there’s the possibility to transfer within the firm. That’s great for those who love their job but want to try life somewhere else.”

Tom’s final words on remote working?

“More and more people are receptive to a video call and a remote catch up. And that allows me to reach out and connect with more people. It's allowed me to not have to only see people in Adelaide once every two months.

“Gone are the days where I say let’s catch up when I'm next in town. It's like let's chat tomorrow. And I think that gives me a far greater reach.

“Best of all, I have more time for me, for my family and ultimately for my clients.”