The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shift in the typical workplace paradigm of staff sitting in an office all day long, with public health orders forcing employers across the world to rapidly pivot their employees to working remotely. With the initial hurdles cleared, remote work appears to be here to stay, and many employees are making it clear that they greatly value the eliminated commutes, flexibility in how they work, and additional time to spend with their families. Many employers attempting to enforce a return to the office have discovered that their staff would rather work elsewhere than comply, with a stunning 58% of respondents to a recent study by FlexJobs indicating that they would look for other jobs were they unable to continue remote work.
As the post-pandemic wave of resignations continues, savvy employers have embraced their workforce’s newfound freedom and made sometimes-substantial changes in an attempt to avoid losing valuable talent, helping their people stay feeling engaged and supported. Professional services firms Deloitte and KPMG have been executing an ongoing strategy to provide additional flexibility to their workforces, with Deloitte’s latest step being a move to empower Australian staff to work remotely from countries like Britain, Singapore, and India.
“We have had a lot of feedback from our partners and staff about their desire to travel overseas when the borders reopen, with a particular focus on reuniting with friends and family… to be honest, this has been a complex exercise due to the need to navigate different working visa and taxation rules, but we are really pleased we will be able to offer this in multiple jurisdictions to enable our people to work remotely where this option makes practical and individual sense,” said Deloitte Australia Chief Executive Officer Adam Powick.
KPMG’s policy shift is also focused on workers reconnecting with family separated as a result of border closures, enabling its staff to work from another country when visiting friends and family as well as from home, the office, or on client sites, as needs dictate. At this time, all of the Big Four firms have implemented remote working policies to help retain employees who’ve called off cubicles for good.
