Dyke Yaxley isn't your typical accounting firm. With over 100 years of history serving clients across the UK and internationally, they've built their reputation on excellence, adaptability, and strategic thinking. As a leading chartered accountancy firm, they understand that staying competitive means evolving with the market; even when that evolution challenges traditional approaches.
Natasha Fox, Lead for People and Culture, oversees HR strategy and talent management for the firm. Like many HR leaders in professional services today, she faces the constant challenge of balancing growth ambitions with resource constraints, all while maintaining the compliance standards that clients expect from a trusted advisory partner.
By 2024, Dyke Yaxley found themselves in a position many successful firms face: victim of their own success. Client demand for audit services was growing, but the local talent market wasn't keeping pace.
"We got to a point where we were having to turn down work because we didn't have the resources available."
The challenge wasn't just about finding any audit professionals, it was about finding qualified talent who could maintain Dyke Yaxley's standards while navigating an increasingly competitive UK market. The firm needed to scale their audit department without compromising on quality or compliance, two non-negotiables in their industry.
Traditional hiring approaches weren't cutting it. The post-COVID shift to remote and hybrid work had opened new possibilities, but also created new complexities. How do you tap into global talent pools without getting tangled in international employment law? How do you experiment with new hiring models while maintaining the regulatory alignment that clients depend on?
For Dyke Yaxley, the risk of turning down new business was becoming very real. They needed a solution that would let them explore new talent markets quickly and compliantly, without the operational headaches that typically come with cross-border hiring.
Rather than accept the constraints of their local talent market, Dyke Yaxley decided to think bigger. They partnered with Teamed to explore hiring skilled audit professionals in South Africa; a market they'd never considered before.
What made this partnership work wasn't just Teamed's EOR capabilities, but the approach. This wasn't about making a massive commitment upfront; it was about smart experimentation with the right safety net.
"For us to investigate this South Africa port of talent, and for us to have landed on our feet as well as we did, which none of us really anticipated, it was all very experimental at the time."
Teamed handled everything that typically makes international hiring complex: compliance with South African employment law, payroll processing, tax obligations, and onboarding logistics. This meant Dyke Yaxley could focus on what they do best, finding great people and integrating them into their team.
The process started with one hire. Teamed's experts managed the compliance side while Dyke Yaxley evaluated how well the arrangement would work for their specific needs. No massive upfront investment, no complex legal structures to set up, no permanent establishment risks to worry about.
The beauty of Teamed's approach is that it removes the traditional barriers to global hiring. Instead of spending months researching South African employment law or setting up local entities, Dyke Yaxley could test their hypothesis quickly and safely.
The results spoke for themselves, and quickly. The first South African hire exceeded expectations on every level - technical skills, work ethic, cultural fit, and client satisfaction.
"Our clients are happy. We're happy. She [employee] was happy with the way that we looked after her. And so then we went on to think, okay, we've got a bit more of a portfolio for a second person. And that's where we went for a second."
The success was so clear that Dyke Yaxley didn't hesitate to expand. They brought on a second team member, effectively doubling their experiment and proving the model's scalability.
But the real transformation went beyond just adding headcount. The quality of talent they accessed changed their perspective on what's possible:
"Their work ethic is next level. And like I said, the way that they, the South African standards and legalities and what we have to do in the UK, they're not too dissimilar. So there wasn't this whole clash of worlds, it dealt quite well."
The measurable outcomes tell the story:
Perhaps most importantly, Dyke Yaxley proved that compliance and growth aren't mutually exclusive. They could expand their team, serve more clients, and maintain their reputation for excellence, all while exploring new markets they'd never considered before.
The transformation wasn't just operational; it was strategic. Dyke Yaxley went from being constrained by local talent availability to having access to global expertise. They moved from turning down work to confidently taking on new clients, knowing they had the right people in place.
Dyke Yaxley's success shows what's possible when you have the right partner for global employment. They didn't just solve a staffing problem, they unlocked a new growth strategy that positions them for long-term success.
If you're facing similar talent constraints or looking to explore new markets without the compliance headaches, Teamed can help. Our EOR solution handles the complexity while you focus on finding great people and growing your business.
Book a call with our team and discover how we can help you access global talent with complete confidence in compliance.
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