PwC accounting firm allows employees to work remotely indefinitely

Accounting firm PwC told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that thousands of its U.S. employees will be able to work remotely indefinitely.

The company will allow 40,000 U.S.-based customer service employees to live and work virtually anywhere they want, a move that reflects how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed organizations’ operations.

“We have learned a lot through the pandemic, and working virtually, as we think about the evolution of flexibility, is a natural next step,” Yolanda Seals-Coffield, PwC deputy personnel manager, told Reuters. “If you’re an employee in good standing, customer service and want to work virtually, you can, period. “

Some employees and staff already had the option to work remotely, but Seals-Coffield told the outlet that the company’s decision to include all of its customer services employees made it the first of its kind in its industry. .

There are a few stipulations in the policy, including that employees who decide to live in lower cost areas and switch to work entirely remotely may see their pay cut. Additionally, employees working remotely will have to come back to the office for up to three days a month for learning sessions and meetings, Seals-Coffield told Reuters.

If team employees decide to visit the office on a regular basis, the firm’s associates for those teams will also need to visit the office occasionally.

A PwC fact sheet explained that it enabled employees to work remotely “to meet their needs in this changing work environment, to continue to put flexibility and the benefits of well-being at the center, and ” Expand the pool of people we attract and recruit to meet our aggressive hiring goals and DEI aspirations, all to deliver value to our clients. “

Reuters noted that KPMG and Deloitte employees were also able to work remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move comes as organizations decide how to safely continue doing business during the ongoing pandemic. Some organizations have pushed back their return-to-office dates because they saw an increase in COVID-19 cases earlier this year, while other companies have retained some flexibility in where employees work.