CFDG says charity finance teams are working longer and harder
Howard Lake | 19 April 2011 | News
Finance teams at charities are feeling the pressure of the economic downturn, according to the latest salary survey by the Charity Finance Directors’ Group (CFDG). Finance staff are working longer hours, they feel their work-life balance is getting worse and there is increasing pressure on staff, according to the survey undertaken by independent market research agency Critical Research, and supported by thankQ.
The results show that 85% of respondents work longer than their contracted hours; over half without any compensation. Staff feel that their work-life balance has deteriorated in the past year. In 2010 76% rated their work-life balance as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, and now a comparable proportion (72%) rate it as only ‘good’ or ‘average’.
Caron Bradshaw, CFDG’s CEO, said: “Finance professionals are rolling up their sleeves and fighting for the survival of their charities. These results show they are absorbing the pressure and workload to maintain robust financial management during difficult times.’”
The tougher working conditions could be the result of budget and staffing cuts. Over a third of organisations reported that the budget cuts and recession had affected their recruitment strategy in 2010, and 49% expect recruitment activity to be curtailed in 2011. Half of all organisations have also taken steps to reduce labour costs, primarily through redundancies or reduced working hours. However, so far, finance teams have been less affected by these measures, with only around a quarter (26%) taking steps to reduce the labour bill.
www.cfdg.org.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.