New York – Accounting and consulting firm PwC told Reuters it will allow all of its 40 000 United States client services employees to work virtually and live anywhere they want in perpetuity, making it one of the biggest employers to embrace permanent remote work.
The policy is a departure from the accounting industry’s rigid attitudes, known for encouraging people to put in late nights at the office. Other major accounting firms, such as Deloitte and KPMG, have also been giving employees more choice to work remotely in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
PwC’s deputy people leader Yolanda Seals-Coffield said in an interview that the firm was the first in its industry to make full-time virtual work available to client services employees. PwC’s support staff and employees in areas such as human resources and legal operations that do not face clients already had the option to work virtually full-time.
PwC employees who choose to work virtually would have to come into the office a maximum of three days per month for in-person appointments such as critical team meetings, client visits and learning sessions, Seals-Coffield said.
“We have learned a ton through the pandemic, and working virtually, as we think about the evolution of flexibility, is a natural next step,” Seals-Coffield said. “If you are an employee in good standing, are in client services, and want to work virtually, you can, full stop.”
Location does factor into PwC employees’ pay, however, Seals-Coffield said. Employees who opt to work virtually full-time from a lower-cost location would see their pay decrease, she added.
Google also bases employees’ pay on their location, with those who work from home permanently potentially earning less.
Most US white-collar workers have been working from home since the pandemic took hold in March 2020. CEOs have grappled with bringing employees back, weighing their management style and preferences against risks such as more contagious COVID-19 variants and workers rejecting vaccines. (Reuters)
