PwC has announced that it will begin closely monitoring the office attendance of its 26,000 UK employees, as the firm adopts a stricter stance on its hybrid working policy.
Starting from January, employees will be required to spend a minimum of three days a week in the office or at client sites, with their attendance tracked similarly to how their chargeable hours are recorded.
In a memo circulated to staff on Thursday, PwC’s managing partner Laura Hinton outlined the new policy, emphasising that monthly data on employees’ working locations will be shared with them, as well as with their career coaches.
The move marks one of the first significant policy changes under the leadership of Marco Amitrano, who became senior partner in July.
Working location data
Hinton stated, “We will start sharing your individual working location data with you on a monthly basis from January as we do with other data such as chargeable hours. This will help to ensure that the new policy is being fairly and consistently applied across our business.”
The decision reflects a broader trend among major UK employers who are pushing for increased office attendance after the widespread shift to hybrid working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rival Big Four firm EY has already begun monitoring its UK employees’ office attendance using swipe card data.
PwC’s move comes amidst a challenging economic environment, with the firm previously warning staff in July to expect lower bonuses and pay rises due to a market slowdown. The firm has also rolled back pandemic-era perks, such as the option for employees to take a half-day on Fridays during the summer.
The new policy aims to formalise PwC’s approach to in-person collaboration, which the firm believes is essential for building strong relationships, offering clients a differentiated experience, and fostering a positive learning and coaching environment. “By being physically together, we can offer our clients a differentiated experience and create the positive learning and coaching environment that is key to our success,” Hinton added in the memo
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
