We focus on empowering our people

Gold magazine, Issue October 2021

RSM Cyprus

Our people are the ones that meet the firm's goals and drive corporate strategies and deliver customer services. 

"From the initial years of our establishment, we have followed the principle that ‘Investing in our people means investing in our future’s success. Subsequently, we invest time and resources to provide training to our people that focuses on their professional empowerment and personal growth,” says George Themistocleous, CEO at RSM Cyprus Limited.

With over 25 years of experience and a presence in Limassol, Paphos and Nicosia, the company is a leading provider of professional services, offering a comprehensive range of audit, tax and consulting services.

The firm was established in Cyprus in 1996, and, in 2018, joined RSM International, the 6th largest international auditing, tax and consulting services network in the world.

RSM’s network has a presence in more than 120 countries, including the world’s Top 40 major business centres, and over 48,000 employees located in more than 820 offices across Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, MENA, and North America.

RSM Cyprus is also an Approved Employer for Trainee Accountants from both ACCA and ICAEW, as well as an Approved Employer for Professional Development from ACCA.

According to George Themistocleous, these accreditations reflect the company’s commitment to the professional development and excellence of its people, both through internal seminars, offered by its local experts or global network and by encouraging staff to participate in external seminars for professional and personal development.

“Through our DNA, we inspire our people to be critical thinkers, caring, curious, courageous and collaborative. For our people, it’s about taking the time to understand each other so that we can work together more closely and better enable one another to grow confidently, supported by deep relationships based on trust,” the CEO explains.

George Themistocleous goes on to say that the firm wants its employees to feel happy when they go to work and to consider RSM Cyprus part of their family. He notes that, to this end, it has cultivated a culture that boosts innovation, curiosity and open communication in the workplace, “With these practices in place, our people are stronger and more confident to move forward and take decisions that benefit themselves, our firm and the client experience. After all, our people are the ones that meet the firm’s goals, drive corporate strategies and deliver customer services.”

All new recruitments receive full guidelines on their duties and responsibilities, according to their profession, and a complete description of their benefits.

“Moreover, throughout their onboarding experience, we assign other team members as mentors to guide them through their work responsibilities, operations, procedures and requirements,” Themistocleous adds. “In the process of enrolling a new member to our team, we encourage open communication and schedule frequent face-to-face meetings for members to interact, boost collaboration and cultivate a sense of belonging.”

RSM Cyprus uses evaluation performance reports with pre-determined targets derived through collaboration between its personnel and the HR department and offers a 13th salary, performance bonuses and a provident fund, as well as all the legal contributions imposed by the Cyprus legislative framework.

George Themistocleous notes that RSM Cyprus recognises the importance of a professional and personal life balance by offering time management tools and promoting teamwork and task delegation during projects.

Focus on our people

We focus on empowering our people, creating relationships between our team members and encouraging freedom of speech. 

“In addition, we organise a number of corporate events, team building activities and gatherings throughout the year, with the highlight being RSM World Day when our 820 offices across continents celebrate our community relationship, connectivity and sharing of ideas and insights,” he tells GOLD.

RSM Cyprus, meanwhile, demonstrated its trust in its employees when, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it introduced remote working and applied social distancing. “Of course, this arrangement was feasible because our company continuously invests in technological systems updates,” Themistocleous stresses.

This trust corresponds to the sense of belonging in the workplace that RSM Cyprus is also careful to cultivate. The CEO continues, “To foster that, as a company, we focus on empowering our people, creating relationships between our team members and encouraging freedom of speech; everyone can speak their minds, be heard and acknowledged.”

He concludes by saying, “We feel that our people are of utmost importance to the firm, and The Power of Being Understood is the principle we follow as a network, thus our promise to them.”