PwC Gibraltar announces new flexible work arrangement for employees

Following extensive internal consultation and taking into consideration the recent news announced by PwC UK, PwC Gibraltar has announced to its 80 people, changes to allow greater flexibility for post-pandemic working.

Called ‘Empowered Flexibility’, the announcement reflects the firm’s commitment to supporting its people and responding to changing working patterns accelerated by Covid-19. The changes will help embed a hybrid working model and align with PwC’s long-term Net Zero commitment. 

The new working arrangements are part of a workforce framework built on two-way flexibility and trust to meet the needs of teams, clients and the firm.

Full details have been shared with staff, with the three key elements announced as follows:

• an ‘empowered day’ - which gives our workforce more freedom to decide the most effective working pattern on any given day - for example, an earlier start and finish time;

• flexibility to continue working from home as part of blended working, with an expectation that people will spend a minimum of 60% of their time co-located with colleagues, either in our offices or at client sites; and

• a continuation of our summer working hours during the 13-week summer period, where our people can enjoy 3.30pm finish times to benefit from the summer period in Gibraltar.

Colin Vaughan, Chairman and Territory Senior Partner at PwC Gibraltar, said:

“Over the last few years, we’ve come a long way from where we were before we moved to our premises at 327 Main Street. In addition to going paperless and having an energy efficient office, we’ve successfully introduced a Dress for your Day policy, and now we can announce increased opportunities for flexible working, and we hope this announcement of Empowered Flexibility makes flexible working much more the norm rather than the exception. We want our people to feel trusted and empowered.

“These changes are in direct response to soundings from our people, who’ve said they value a mix of working from home and in the office. We want to help enshrine new working patterns so they outlast the pandemic. Without conscious planning now, there’s a risk we lose the best bits of these new ways of working as we transition to the new normal. The future of work is changing at such a pace we have to evolve continually how we do things to meet the needs of our people and our clients.”

Barry Pillans, PwC Gibraltar’s Human Capital Leader, added:

“Our people continue to go above and beyond to support their teams and meet the needs of their clients. While not everyone is able to work flexibly all of the time, we want to make it as easy as possible when they can. From discussions with our people and clients, we believe these changes will make a real difference, helping support greater work life balance and giving our people more confidence to work flexibly.”

The new arrangements will come into effect after the May Day bank holiday, fitting as it is labour day, further highlighting the importance of the workforce. This coincides well with recent HM Government of Gibraltar announcements in respect of a return to normality in the workplace. PwC Gibraltar’s office has been open for staff during all of the pandemic, recognising that some individuals may find it more comfortable and safe to work from the office instead of their homes.