The Hidden Cost of Delaying Recruitment Decisions

Across Surrey and the South East, many accountancy and professional services firms remain busy with strong client demand and continued growth ambitions. New clients are being won, advisory offerings are developing and firms are investing in both technology and their people.

Recent findings from the Accountancy Age Top 50+50 Rankings Report 2025 showed that 65% of the Top 100 firms reported fee income growth in the previous year, whilst almost 70% expect growth to accelerate further in the year ahead.

Closer to home, Surrey County Council’s economic strategy evidence identifies Professional Business Services as one of the county’s key strengths, with the sector recording 10.3% compound annual GVA growth between 2017 and 2022.

With growth comes opportunity; however, it can also create pressure.

One of the conversations we regularly have with Partners and Directors is around recruitment timing. Teams are busy; workloads are increasing and there is recognition that additional support will be required. Even so, there can be understandable reasons for waiting. Budgets may be under review, the shape of the new role may still be evolving, or the feeling that the existing team can manage for a little bit longer.

Sometimes it is absolutely the right decision to wait. However, in practice, the increased workload is often absorbed by existing team members who are already working hard to deliver excellent service to their clients.

Initially, the increased workload may feel manageable and good people tend to step up and support the wider team when needed. Over time, however, sustained pressure can begin to have an impact.

Managers can find themselves balancing client work, reviews, team development and wider business responsibilities, often with little additional capacity. Senior team members may have less time to mentor and support junior colleagues. When capacity is stretched, these development opportunities can suffer, which has longer-term implications for retention and succession planning. If good people begin to look elsewhere, the cost of replacing them is rarely limited to recruitment itself; firms can also lose valuable knowledge, client continuity and team morale.

There is also the client perspective to consider.

Most firms work exceptionally hard to maintain service standards, even during busy periods. If teams remain under pressure for too long, turnaround times can increase and valuable advisory conversations may be postponed. A firm may continue winning new work, but if the structure behind the team is stretched, delivering that work well can become harder than it should be. 

The recruitment market itself can also move quickly.

Strong candidates are now often exploring opportunities selectively rather than actively applying for roles. We regularly see high-quality individuals receive multiple approaches and accept a new opportunity before some firms have even completed their decision-making processes.

This is why an important question is often not simply: Can we afford to hire? It is also: What is the cost of waiting too long?

Of course, this does not mean every vacancy should be filled immediately. Successful recruitment is rarely rushed. The best hiring decisions are considered, planned and aligned with the firm’s wider goals. However, the firms that tend to manage growth most effectively are those that think ahead. They regularly review capacity, future leadership requirements and the support and development their teams need as the business continues to grow.

Sometimes the answer is recruitment. Sometimes it is restructuring responsibilities or investing further in existing team members. The important point is recognising potential pressure points before they become urgent challenges.

Final Thoughts

Recruitment is often viewed as a response to a vacancy. Increasingly, the most successful firms view it as part of their wider business planning.

Across Surrey and the South East, we continue to see firms investing in growth, developing their client offering and planning for the future. Those best positioned to take advantage of these opportunities are often the firms that plan, understand where pressure may emerge and make timely decisions around their people strategy.

At Fletcher George, we speak with accountancy professionals and firms across Surrey, London and the South East every day. We understand how quickly the market can move and how important it is to make considered, well-timed hiring decisions.

If you are reviewing your team structure, planning for growth or beginning to feel pressure within your practice, a confidential conversation before the need becomes urgent can be a useful place to start. 

Lisa Wintrip, Director, Fletcher George Recruitment

Sources

Accountancy Age – Top 50+50 Rankings Report 2025

Surrey County Council – Surrey Economic Growth Strategy 2025

Business Surrey / Metro Dynamics – Economic Strategy Evidence Paper: Priority Two – Businesses