Deloitte ties office attendance to performance bonuses
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — Accounting firm Deloitte is setting new standards within its U.S. tax practice by requiring office attendance as part of its performance review criteria.
New attendance requirements impact compensation
As Deloitte noted in a message to its U.S. tax staff, “Being present at a Deloitte office or client site will now be considered in your … performance evaluations.” Employees must now be present at the office or client sites for two to three days a week, diverging from the firm’s broader flexible hybrid policy.
Deloitte’s shift represents a change from the broader hybrid working model adopted three years ago, which covers its global workforce of 460,000.
The company’s hybrid model, officially implemented three years ago, allows employees to decide how they work, as long as it aligns with client and colleague needs.
However, Deloitte clarifies that this new policy applies only to its U.S. Tax practice, stating, “Our hybrid model is not one-sized-fits-all.”
Industry-wide trends
In 2023, Google announced it would begin noting office attendance in performance reviews, requiring employees to work from the office three days a week.
Similarly, Wall Street giants like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs have been known for stricter in-office requirements, demanding full five-day office weeks, with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon famously stating that staff unhappy with this could seek employment elsewhere.
The Big Four accounting firms have been refining their attendance and performance policies recently. EY faced controversy for dismissing staff found to be gaming the system by attending multiple training sessions simultaneously during their mandatory Ignite Learning Week.
Meanwhile, PwC in the U.K. has announced plans to monitor office attendance closely, mirroring the tracking of billable hours and providing monthly reports on employee whereabouts to their career coaches.
