Big Four Stick With Hybrid Work Over Strict RTO Mandates

• Many big companies are pulling workers back to the office 5 days a week.
• The Big Four — EY, Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG — are sticking with hybrid work policies.
• Here’s where the Big Four stand on hybrid work in 2025.

The world’s four largest consulting and accounting firms collectively employ 1.5 million staff and take up prime commercial real estate in hundreds of major cities worldwide

But all four firms are bucking the trend toward stricter return-to-office (RTO) policies being followed by other corporate powerhouses.

Companies including JPMorgan, Dell, AT&T, and Amazon have reversed their stance on remote work and called employees back to the office five days a week.

Federal workers have also been called to return to their offices full-time after President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating RTO on his first day in the White House.

Business Insider spoke to the Big Four about where they stand on hybrid work in 2025.

KPMG

KPMG operates a hybrid working model, with employees splitting time between the office, client sites, and home. The firm has permitted some hybrid work since before the pandemic.

The exact number of days teams come to the office is at the discretion of each member firm within the KPMG network.

“This approach centers on trusting our people to responsibly manage their working patterns to deliver the best results for clients, as well as their teams,” Nhlamu Dlomu, KPMG’s international global head of people, told Business Insider.

Some 81% of participants in KPMG’s 2024 Global People Survey agreed with the statement, “I can work where I am most effective to meet client, business, and team needs.”

KPMG says it continually assesses working practices to find the right balance between flexibility and building strong in-person relationships at work. It says it aims to hold regular team-building and social activities to support a healthy work environment.

“There’s no doubt that one size does not fit all when it comes to ways of working — different organizations will have different approaches,” said Dlomu.

“But, it’s important for organizations to reflect on what they have gained from remote and hybrid work and what they may risk by introducing blanket mandates.”

EY

EY’s hybrid work policy requires staff to work in the office two to three days a week, with the flexibility to work from home for the remaining days.

“Globally our principle is that people work where and when they are most effective, with individual office policies set by member firms,” an EY spokesperson told BI.

In January 2024, reports emerged that senior employees at the UK branch of EY were monitoring how often staff attended its offices by tracking turnstile access data. Reports at the time suggested that at least 50% of staff on some teams were flouting the two-day-a-week rule.

EY’s spokesperson told BI it recognized the importance of flexibility in enabling productivity, collaboration and meeting client needs. EY believed it is important to develop “a network of workplaces, including offices, home working, coworking and meeting client preferences and policies,” they said.

They added that EY continuously assesses workforce preferences to evolve its approach and create the best work experience.

PwC

PwC’s policy allows hybrid employees to spend roughly 50% of their time in-person at either a client site, PwC office, or other in-person location, depending on their team and client.

The firm’s UK arm has cracked down on hybrid working in recent months, however.

In January 2025, PwC tightened up its hybrid work approach in the UK by mandating staff work in the office or with clients at least 3 days a week, or 60% of their time. Previously, the UK workforce was expected in the office at least two days a week.

The firm told its 26,000 UK employees that it will also begin monitoring how often employees work from home, The Financial Times reported.

“Face-to-face working is hugely important to a people business like ours, and the new policy tips the balance of our working week into being located alongside clients and colleagues,” said Laura Hinton, managing partner at PwC UK.

“At the same time, we continue to offer flexibility through hybrid working,” she said.

PwC’s policy in the US remains unchanged.

Deloitte

The golden rule at Deloitte is that “people are trusted to decide how they work,” the firm states on its website.

Deloitte, which is the largest of the Big Four by both employees and revenue, has allowed some hybrid work since 2014. The firm made its hybrid-working policy official following lockdowns during the pandemic.

Deloitte does not mandate a set number of days in the office. Instead, the consultancy lets employees judge when to spend time between client sites, the office, and home.

When teams or clients require their presence, employees are encouraged to make every effort to be present in person.

Deloitte believes hybrid work is a tool for boosting employee experience and satisfaction, BI understands. The firm thinks employers who recognize the desire for flexibility and choice are more likely to attract, retain, and motivate the best talent.

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