PwC Goes Back To The Office

In today's podcast we discuss news that pwcers have to go back to the office. Is this the end to pwc's work from anywhere program?
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[@BlameGamerOfficial]

I think returning to the office should be based on performance, if you're struggling to meet goals and deadlines on a consistent basis then certainly the individual should be called in. On the other side, individuals consistently meeting and or exceeding expectations should be given the flexibility that suits them.

[@TheBig4AccountingFirms]

I think pwc is trying to hint at it being performance based on their website where they say - 'You can live anywhere within the continental US as long as your team supports it.'
This means that if you are high performing you can probably negotiate for it. The downside being if your team doesn't like you, they can nail you on the 50% metric. The big 4 are very tricky with this stuff. They don't enforce the policy unless your superiors don't like you. Then they start documenting your file with all the metrics you don't meet.

[@hobgoblin4614]

That's not going to work. Performance has a fudge factor in it. The ratings at Big 4 firms are dependent on more than just your engagement reviews. Management does "due diligence" into those reviews and considers other factors (i.e. extracurricular activities, marketing, etc.). If everything were objectively performance based then all the hardest working and smartest people would be in the top performer bucket. Let's face it - Big 4 Firms have their share of nepotism. That is where the "due diligence" primarily comes into the ranking and determines if you are consistently meeting and exceeding expectations. Also, those expectations are dynamic. Look at Deloitte. They are laying off a bunch of people now. Some of those people were high performers with full utilization up until about a month ago. Then all of a sudden they stopped assigning them work and their utilization dropped At Deloitte your utilization is your responsibility. Many of those people were let go because of "performance reasons" such as this. The thing with determining performance is it's determined on a curve and that curve is adopted to how Management bestows favoritism towards for a big part.

[@BlameGamerOfficial]

I do wonder how much longer Deloitte will persist with the Hybrid model. I was in the office recently and I happened to walk in to the audit side and it was more full than I remembered it being. Looks as though they don't even have the space available for all the people that have been taken on.

[@markomak1]

A very nice analysis. Thanks!

[@jimbojimbo6873]

Bell curve and performance plans are coming back I’ve noticed.

[@hobgoblin4614]

They certainly are with the economy going in decline. Then when it comes back performance standards will decline and they will be looking to over hire like they always do until the economy is in decline again.