PwC UK orders staff to spend more time in office and meet clients in person

PwC UK has ordered staff to spend more time in the office and meet clients in person, as the accounting giant becomes the latest firm to adopt tighter rules on working from home.

The Big Four firm told its employees and partners on Thursday that its new hybrid working policy would require them to spend at least three days a week – or 60 per cent of their time – with clients or in the office.

The new policy is due to come into force in January. PwC UK previously required two or three days of in-person working each week.

“Face-to-face working is hugely important to a people business like ours, and the new policy tips the balance of our working week into being located alongside clients and colleagues,” Laura Hinton, managing partner at PwC UK, said.

“This feels right for our business and right for our people, given our focus on client service, coaching, and learning and development. At the same time, we continue to offer flexibility through hybrid working.”

PwC office move part of wider trend

The move underscores a broader push by Britain’s large employers to increase office attendance rates after hybrid working arrangements surged in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kevin Ellis, who stepped down as chair of PwC UK in July, became a vocal proponent of staff spending more time in the office and has said that younger people in particular should avoid the temptation of working from home.

Fellow Big Four firm EY reportedly started monitoring UK employees’ office attendance with swipe card entry data earlier this year.

In the banking sector, Lloyds, HSBC and Citigroup are among firms that have imposed tighter policies on flexible working since last year, drawing criticism from some employees.

Lloyds’ employee engagement index – measuring pride and satisfaction working for Lloyds, as well as recommending it as a place to work – fell by 12 points last year to its lowest level since 2014, coming in at 66 per cent favourable.