Helen Wall
SENIOR ADVISOR

I am the team member who hasn’t set foot in the office since December 2006. But to be fair, I live 1,700km away.

I joined O’Connells OBM as a graduate in December 2002. After four fantastic years, my husband and I made the decision to move to my hometown of Cairns.  I worked for a large firm in Cairns for over a year, until the birth of my son in March 2008.

Once my baby was born I wanted to look after him full-time, but I didn’t want to totally give up work.  O’Connells OBM offered me the perfect solution: work from home for the hours that suited me.

I now work part-time from my home in Cairns for O’Connells OBM via remote internet connection. It’s so great to be part of the O’Connells OBM team again. Thanks to all the latest internet communication technology, it almost feels as though I am in the office. I regularly use a webcam to communicate with the team (except on bad hair days). And because all of the firm’s files are stored electronically, I can access whatever information I need very quickly, whenever I need it. I even have a media tablet which allows me to “write” on documents electronically.  Clients can call or email me, or talk to me through a webcam if they have one.

Working from home is ideal for me, but that being said, I loved spending time with the team “in person” at the firm’s Annual Strategic Planning Retreat on the Gold Coast in July.

There are many benefits of working at O’Connells OBM – such as the excellent training, the open book management style, and the employee share ownership plan and profit share systems. But one of the main things that sets O’Connells OBM apart from other firms is the way it looks after its people. With me, for example, the partners and team understand that being a new Mum is tough, and have encouraged me to work as much (or as little) as I like. I doubt there are many firms that offer as much flexibility, or have the technology and systems to enable a team member to fully work from home. 

So much thought, time and effort is put into every team member – in terms of that person’s technical development, personal development and career progression. Every team member is given every opportunity. There are no barriers to achieving your career goals.

I look forward to continuing my career with O’Connells OBM over the coming years and watching the firm grow.

Marguerite Schulz
ADVISOR

I participated in the O’Connells OBM Summer Vacation in 2008 and was offered a graduate position at the end of the program.

As part of the offer, I was given the opportunity to work in the administration team on a casual basis while I completed the last year of my degree. I found this made the transition from university to full time work much easier as it enabled me to get to know the team at O’Connells, gain a good understanding of the computer systems and applications as well as the general office systems – which meant there was a few less things I had to get a grasp of when I actually started as a graduate!

I really enjoy working here at O’Connells. There is a great team environment where every team member’s suggestions and ideas are valued – you don’t feel like a number! A lot of time and effort is put into helping you reach your career goals and you can talk to anyone about anything that is bothering you at any time – it’s all about helping each other, not being in competition with one another.

From the word go I have been fully engaged in doing a wide variety of work – and not just a bank reconciliation here and an Income Tax Return there, you get to do client work from start to finish including preparing financials statement, tax returns, the lot. I have been able to work on entities in a number of different industries including primary production, commercial property, marketing and property development businesses – it has been a challenge but has been very rewarding. And if you develop an interest in a particular area, you are encouraged to let senior team members know to allow them to give you more work in that area.

I look forward to continuing my career here at O’Connells.