Want better bonus? Come to office, Deloitte tells US employees
What's the story
Deloitte, a top global audit and financial services firm, has updated its hybrid work policy for its US tax division.
The company now mandates these employees to be in the office at least two to three times weekly. This is likely to impact their performance reviews and even their bonuses.
Katie Zinn, the chief talent officer of Deloitte's tax practice, announced the change in a message seen by Financial Times.
Policy details
Zinn emphasizes importance of office presence
In her message, Zinn stressed that "Being present at a Deloitte office or client site will now be considered in your ... performance evaluations."
She also directed the employees to "ensure in-person collaboration 2-3 days (50%) weekly." This is a stark contrast to Deloitte's earlier flexible stance on remote work.
The company's spokesperson confirmed the policy change, adding that their hybrid model isn't uniformly applicable across all teams and professionals.
Policy confirmation
Official policy still allows flexibility
Despite the recent changes for US tax division employees, Deloitte's official hybrid work policy remains unchanged.
Introduced three years ago, the policy states that employees are "trusted to decide how they work, in a way that works for their clients and colleagues too."
The company has benefited from maintaining flexibility with hybrid and remote working options without compromising opportunities for in-person connection and collaboration.
Regional impact
Deloitte India's operations remain unaffected
Deloitte's policy change does not apply to its India operations, a company spokesperson said. He clarified that this shift is "not India-related, it is probably just in the US."
Employees in India still have the flexibility to decide when they work from the office, depending on individual team preferences.
The spokesperson emphasized that "In India, we continue to be hybrid, and our employees decide when they come in."
Industry trend
Other firms also linking office attendance to performance
Deloitte's move to tie office attendance with performance bonuses comes on the heels of similar moves by other companies, including PwC and Google.
These companies are stressing the need for in-person collaboration for performance assessments.
However, unlike Deloitte India, these changes aren't applicable to all employees across regions or teams in the company.