One of the world’s largest consulting and accounting firms plans to monitor its employees’ workspaces to ensure they are complying with the firm’s more stringent return-to-office orders.
PricewaterhouseCoopers, or PwC, said its United Kingdom-based operations will “place a greater emphasis on in-person working” from next year. when it will transition from needing workers Attendance at the office at least two days per week will be mandatory, which will require employees to be present at their desks at least three out of five days.
PwC sent an email to employees informing them that it would share their location data with them on a monthly basis. a spokesperson told Fox Business.
“The new policy helps us to spend the balance of our working week with clients and colleagues,” said Laura Hinton, managing partner at PwC UK. “Given our focus on client service, coaching, learning and development, it feels right for our business and our people,” she added.
PwC, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG, employs around 328,000 people worldwide. Its UK workforce consists of around 26,000 staff.
The policy will take effect in January, which PwC says will give employees time to “plan for these arrangements.”
PwC Spokesperson He confirmed the new policy in a statement to the Post.
“Our business thrives on strong relationships — and these relationships are almost always more easily built and maintained by meeting face-to-face,” the company told its UK-based staff in a memo.
“By being physically together, we can provide our customers with a different experience and create the positive learning and training environment that is key to our success.”
When asked what would happen if an employee is found to be violating the order to return to office, a PwC spokesperson said, “We would first like to understand the reasons for this.”
Deloitte does not have a mandatory return-to-office policy, though this may vary from team to team. KPMG allows its employees to follow a hybrid model.
EY has also started monitoring employees' compliance with orders to return to the office. The firm's employees were required to attend at least two days a week – but half of them failed to comply, According to the Financial Times.
As the pandemic subsides, many companies expect their employees to come to the office more regularly.
Last month, office visits in the US reached 68.8% of August 2019 levels, a slight decline from the 72.2% figure recorded in July. According to data analytics firm Placer.ai.
In August last year, office visits across the country reached 67.6% – a significant jump from the 55.9% recovery rate of the same month in 2022.
According to Placer.ai, the rate of employees returning to office in August 2021 was just 39.1%.
The latest data show that Miami, New York, Atlanta and Dallas have outperformed the rest of the country.
In New York and Miami, the number of employees coming to the office reached 85% and 90%, respectively, while in Atlanta, 75.6% of employees returned in August.
