Deloitte, the global accounting and consulting firm, will shut down four out of its 50 offices in Britain. However, all the employees, that is, about 500 of them, will be working from home permanently, on contract.
The Company’s offices in Gatwick, Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton will be closed as part of the re-evaluation of the Company’s properties. The Company has also cut the salaries of its UK partners by 20 per cent, to avoid lay offs.
Many companies, the world over, are thinking of opting for a permanent remote working arrangement for their employees. Last month, Sunder Pichai, CEO, Google, had also suggested coming up with a hybrid model which will offer more flexibility. The company’s workforce has anyway been allowed to work from home till June 2021.
British multinational oil and gas company, BP, is also considering adopting a hybrid work style for its workforce. It is reportedly thinking of selling its headquarters. Twitter, Square and Facebook are also keen to explore the possibility of a permanent work from home arrangement in the future.
A recent survey by Barco revealed that 15 per cent of employees wishes to continue working from home, full time, even post COVID-19. Almost 50 per cent admitted that they seemed to enjoy working from home at the beginning of the pandemic, but not as much now, since it is difficult to collaborate with team members and the social interaction is deeply missed. It is the hybrid model that seems to be the most popular.
