Register to get free articles
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
The chair of ‘Big Four’ accountancy firm PwC has said that he encourages employees of the firm to return to work on a voluntary basis, but has declared that the “age of presenteeism” is over.
According to the Sunday Times, Ellis said that around 5,000 of its 22,000 staff in the UK had spent some time in the office over the course of last week, adding that he hoped that figure would increase to at least 11,000 by the end of next month.
Ellis was cited as saying benefits such as improved mental health, reducing stress and helping local business as some of the reasons he believes it may be beneficial for employees to return to the office.
However he conceded that the need for staff to be at their desk for five days a week has been “bashed away” by Covid-19. It is also reported that the firm may cut attendance from five to four or even three days following the pandemic.
It comes after prime minister Boris Johnson last month said that it would be up to firms to decide if they would require employees to return to the office from 1 August.
Johnson said: “Instead of government telling people to work from home, we are going to give employers more discretion, and ask them to make decisions about how their staff can work safely.“
