Big Four accountancy firm PwC has moved to make prospective graduate recruits attend in-person interviews and events in a bid to stem the rise of home working since the pandemic.
Recruiting will be moved from primarily being online to in offices, Financial News London reported, in a bid to encourage new staff to attend work in person.
“One of the things that we are introducing this year [...] is a revised graduate recruitment process focussing more on people coming into our office,” PwC UK audit and assurance people head Sally Cosgrove said.
PwC had joined many other firms in adopting hybrid working patterns following lockdowns caused by the pandemic, with staff expected to attend in person for at least 40% of their hours.
However, PwC senior partner Kevin Ellis has echoed calls from across office-based sectors for staff to return to offices for the majority of their hours since the pandemic.
For instance, a KPMG survey last week found that the majority of chief executives believed staff’s pay and rewards should be linked to their in-person work attendance.
Commercial landlords have been hit by faltering demand for London office space meanwhile, as many firms have continued with hybrid working since the pandemic.
“We do think it’s really important that people are spending some of their time every week in our offices, it’s how they learn and develop and grow,” Cosgrove added.
“It’s important that our recruitment process mirrors that.”