RS Finance has been with Becky for 1,5 year and until now works with 6 Becky’s employees. Who could tell you better about the experience of working with Becky?

Please share a bit about yourself and RS Finance.

I am a team lead at RS Finance, and my team consists of around 10 people (excluding the team at Belgrade). I joined the company 5 years ago and I was asked to set up the team in the Netherlands. About 2 years ago, we came across Becky’s.

We were looking for people everywhere in the Netherlands but it’s sometimes difficult to find the right people. I went to Belgrade to see if it’s possible for us to find what we’re looking for.

RS Finance is an accounting firm, and we do financial statements for clients, bookkeeping, salary departments, economic and business advice, etc. We deal with numbers and use factual and timely information to help our clients grow.

Let me start with the Belgrade team. I like their eagerness. They are truly willing to evolve and get better in everything they are doing. The mindset of “I’ve never done it but I am sure I can do it”. It’s a very positive way of working.

You mentioned that it’s hard to find people in the Netherlands, do you have any idea why that might be the case?

In Dutch, we say, “we’re fishing in the same pond”. We are looking for a certain quality in people, University educated people or highly educated people, and there’s a limited amount of people that fit every category. We are keen on the right person and expect a lot, so that also limits our pool.

In Belgrade, I am responsible for that team, and the first thing I look at is if they have the RS Finance DNA. If they are open, professional, willing to help others, and qualified for what we are looking for.

You’ve been with Becky for about a year and a half–how would you describe your relationship with Becky?

I would divide that into 2 sections. Becky, as a service; and people that work in my team.

Let me start with the Belgrade team. I like their eagerness. They are truly willing to evolve and get better in everything they are doing. The mindset of “I’ve never done it but I am sure I can do it”. It’s a very positive way of working.

I like to check in and make sure everything is alright. As a Dutch person, I am very direct and I like to know that the people in Belgrade also feel the freedom to be as direct with me.

I think Belgrade people are educated, do the work well, and are very eager to learn.

As for Becky, I have a person of contact who can arrange everything I ask for. I tell them about the kind of person we are looking for and they arrange the interviews and prepare everything. What I like is that it’s very easygoing, it’s easy to reach them, they are happy to help us reach a solution, etc.

I may be a high-maintenance client, I don’t say yes to every candidate, but they always go out of their way to find the perfect one. I am not looking for a separate team that does work for us–I see them as an RS Finance team, but working in Belgrade.

You mentioned that you’ve been to Belgrade before.

Yes, three times now. And soon it will be the fourth.

So, how do you find it?

I really like the city. It’s a bit crowded but also relaxed. It reminds me of Madrid. A lot of places outside where you can eat and drink, and it’s the same in Belgrade.

It’s also pretty safe, compared to other European countries. Belgrade is also close, it is a short flight from here.

How do you structure both teams?

We get people from Belgrade to visit us here, in the Netherlands. It’s important to connect faces with names and create a connection. It also makes them feel more confident to reach out. We have them join weekly and monthly meetings, so they feel like they are truly a part of the team.

I will go to Belgrade every 2 or 3 months to maintain that connection, and let them know we care about them equally.

How do your employees in the Netherlands see their colleagues in Belgrade?

In the beginning, it was a bit strange, for sure. When we started with the first team member, it was only me working with her, but then I included more and more people. It’s like an oil spot–it starts small and then grows.

The employees are very happy with their coworkers from Belgrade. They witnessed their expertise, and have no doubt about them–even the language is not an issue.

For me, it doesn’t matter if the work on the client is being done by someone from the Dutch team or someone from the Serbian team.

Almost 1,5 years into collaboration with Becky, is there anything you would do differently to make the kickstart even more efficient?

We are currently working on the starter program. The new members don’t know the Dutch regulations and laws–which is understandable.

What we do now, is we have an onboarding where we explain a bit about it to every new employee. However, I know Becky is working on a program that will have the newest members learn about the regulations before they start working with us. I think this will speed things up quite a bit.

RS Finance

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