Big Four Accounting Firm PwC UK Demands More Office Working

By Sabah Meddings

September 05, 2024 at 10:25AM EDT

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 31: A general view of the exterior of the PWC London offices on March 31, 2021 in London, England. PwC told its UK consultants and accounts that they could expect to work two or three days in the office, observe flexible working hours, and quit early on Fridays this summer, as the company announced longer-term working arrangements after the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images) (Leon Neal/Photographer: Leon Neal/Getty Im)

(Bloomberg) -- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, one of the Big Four accounting firms, is clamping down on remote working in the UK, bringing in tighter rules that require employees to spend more time in the office.

The firm told staff and partners on Thursday that they should spend at least three days a week in the office or with clients, up from two or three days previously.

“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 of PwC UK, said in a statement.

Employers are placing increasing emphasis on working from the office, rolling back hybrid working that became popular during the pandemic.

PwC said the new policy will take effect from January.

(Updates with details in final paragraph.)