By Tim Stuart, Chief Financial Officer, Ricoh Europe
Across Europe, hiring finance talent is getting tougher. A recent report reveals that 87% of decision makers in finance and accounting say there is a talent shortage, with the number of open roles having jumped 150% in just one year. At the same time, almost 80% of finance leaders claim their teams are “swamped” by manual work, tasks that eat into time better spent on value-adding work.
For many finance leaders, this is a strategic challenge. When highly trained professionals spend most of their time on low-value activities, it limits productivity and dampens morale and career growth. Younger employees in particular are looking for roles where they can make an impact quickly and if finance teams remain defined by repetitive admin, the function risks losing out on the next generation of talent altogether.
At the same time, governments across Europe are continuing to roll out e-invoicing mandates, requiring businesses to digitise transactions to improve tax compliance. Germany introduced mandatory B2B e-invoicing in January 2025, with Spain and France set to follow in 2026. Even in the UK, companies that operate internationally will need to comply with the rules. For finance teams still reliant on paper or predominantly manual processes, these deadlines create additional pressure to modernise.
These twin challenges – a talent shortage and regulatory demand for digitisation – can seem daunting. Yet they point to the same solution; by embracing automation, finance leaders can meet compliance requirements while also making roles more meaningful and appealing to the next generation of professionals.
Regulation as a catalyst for change
Mandatory e-invoicing is one of the most significant changes to European finance in decades. Each member state is setting its own timeline, which in turn creates a complex patchwork of compliance requirements.
This means businesses must replace manual workflows with standardised electronic systems or risk fines and reduced visibility over cash flow. For many finance teams, this will transform how they work. Processes that have previously gone unchanged for years will no longer be viable.
Compliance may be the immediate driver for automation, but it also creates an opportunity to go further. By embracing automation, finance leaders can improve accuracy and visibility across the function. Crucially, they can also make roles more engaging for the next generation of professionals by removing the need for repetitive and manual tasks.
From repetition to real impact
It is often assumed that AP and AR roles will be cut as automation spreads, but the reality is somewhat different. Without automation, these roles remain repetitive and hard to retain. With automation, they become more attractive, with space for people to build skills and focus on value-add work. Instead of focusing on invoice entry and reconciliations, employees can work on supplier relationships, cash flow forecasting and business partnering. These are areas where human skills like judgement, analysis and collaboration are essential.
Younger generations want to work in roles where they can make an impact and feel purpose, not spend months reconciling invoices. If finance continues to be defined by manual admin, it will struggle to attract this generation of talent. By removing low-value tasks, automation allows new joiners to take on more meaningful projects from day one. That strengthens both talent attraction and retention – for all generations.
The link between automation and fulfilment
For employees, the benefits of automation go beyond removing repetitive tasks – it directly affects how fulfilled they feel at work as well as how impactful they feel their contribution at work is.
Ricoh Europe’s recent research shows finance directors cite underinvestment in process automation as one of the top barriers to employee productivity, alongside outdated collaboration tools and high growth targets. Employees – of all ages – share the frustration. A third of European employees say they lack access to the automation technologies they want, leaving them stuck with manual processes that add little value and increase the risk of error.
Finance leaders also recognise that heavy administrative workloads are damaging morale and leaving employees unfulfilled. This is not a minor issue. Disengagement feeds turnover, and turnover is expensive. Encouragingly, more than of a third of financiers now say they are prioritising investment in automation tools that make their teams’ jobs easier which fundamentally allows them to find fulfilment through work- an encouraging sign for employers and employees alike.
Building resilient and attractive finance functions
Automation has the potential to transform the finance function. It frees capacity, yes, but it also changes the scope of finance roles, creating space for curiosity and collaboration and a chance to position the function in a new way.
By embracing automation, finance leaders can build functions that are more human, and places where finance can play its fullest role in shaping the future of the business.
