Kevin Ellis

The firm has said employees will be given more freedom to decide the most effective working pattern on any given day - for example, an earlier start and finish time. 

PwC staff will also be given the flexibility to continue working from home as part of blended working, with an expectation that people will spend an average of 40-60% of their time co-located with colleagues, either in our offices or at client sites. 

Staff will also benefit from a  reduced working day on a Friday during July and August, with the assumption the majority of our people will finish at lunchtime having condensed their working week

Called the ‘Deal’, the announcement reflects the firm’s commitment to supporting its people and responding to changing working patterns accelerated by Covid. The changes will help embed a hybrid working model and align with PwC’s Net Zero commitment.

The Deal is part of a workforce framework covering everything from learning and development to how PwC can make a positive societal difference. It’s built on two-way flexibility and trust to meet the needs of teams, clients and the firm.

Kevin Ellis, chairman and senior partner at PwC, said: “We’ve long promoted flexible working, and we hope today’s announcements make it much more the norm rather than the exception. We want our people to feel trusted and empowered.

“These changes are in direct response to soundings from our people, who’ve said they value a mix of working from home and in the office. We want to help enshrine new working patterns so they outlast the pandemic. Without conscious planning now there’s a risk we lose the best bits of these new ways of working when the economy opens up again. The future of work is changing at such a pace we have to evolve continually how we do things to meet the needs of our people and our clients.”

Laura Hinton, chief people officer at PwC, added: “Our people continue to go above and beyond to support their teams and meet the needs of their clients. While not everyone is able to work flexibly all of the time, we want to make it as easy as possible when they do. From discussions with our people and clients, we believe these changes will make a real difference, helping support greater work life balance and giving our people more confidence to work flexibly.”

The policies will be phased in as lockdown restrictions ease and more people return to the office over the coming months. PwC told its people this week that its offices in England and Wales are open for those with a business or personal need or those who feel they can be more effective spending some time in the office.