PwC sets down 3-day office guidelines for staff

Professional services firm PwC Ireland has told its 3,100 staff that it will expect them to work in their offices or at client sites for two to three days a week on average in a new hybrid working model post the pandemic.

PwC managing partner Feargal O’Rourke told staff on Monday that the firm would expect them to “co-locate for innovation and connection on average two to three days per week”.

“This will vary week to week and project to project or at particularly busy times of the year,” he added. Mr O’Rourke said this model was consistent with staff feedback on the issue, and aligned with the firm’s assessment of “what time might be needed in co-location to support in-person connections, learning, innovation, and to foster a sense of belonging and shared values so central to our culture and success.”

Arrangements

Mr O’Rourke said there would need to be “give and take” in the new working arrangements.

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“Flexibility will be a two-way street. There are times where the business or client needs will make demands of us that won’t permit flexibility. The flip side of this is that when those demands aren’t there, you should have much more scope to control how and where you work.”

He said the leadership of PwC did not have “all the answers” on hybrid working and it would require everyone to “adapt and evolve” to make it work.

“This will be a big cultural shift for all of us, and we want to ensure that we all have time to adapt our mindsets to make it a success,” he said, adding that “leadership capabilities” would have to evolve to avoid bias.

In February, PwC told staff that it did not expect them to return to the office before September 1st. However, the firm began opening its seven Irish offices on Monday for those staff who wanted or needed to return.

Staff

Mr O'Rourke told The Irish Times that some 450 staff had registered to work from its head office in Dublin at least one day this week, and about 5 per cent of people would be working at its network of seven locations – it also has bases in Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Waterford and Wexford – this week.

“It will probably pick up a little bit over the summer but not much,” he added. “We are trying this out but we want the direction of travel to be clear . . . life will not be going back to pre-pandemic levels.”

Mr O’Rourke said PwC has no plans to reduce its office footprint, in spite of the fact that fewer people will be attending its bases in the future. “We will probably have the same footprint but will configure it differently,” he said, adding that there would be greater demand for meeting rooms and collaborative spaces, with some single person offices removed.

The PwC announcement mirrors the position of the firm in the UK. Fellow Big Four accountant EY on Monday told its UK staff they should expect to spend at least two days a week working from home after the pandemic.

KPMG has told its UK staff that they will spend a maximum of four days in the office every two weeks.