Is Workplace Trust Dead? A 'Big Four' Firm Will Soon Use Location Data to Track Employees

In a property merchandise published online past week, nan "Big Four" accounting patient PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said it is upping its in-office requirements for partners and unit from "two to 3 days" successful nan agency aliases pinch clients to now 60% of their time, aliases 3 days a week.

And successful a different memo seen by CNN, and sent to nan company's 26,000 UK employees, PwC shared really they would beryllium monitoring nan caller norm — done location data.

Related: Remote Walmart Employees Question Return-to-Office Policy, Some Opt to Quit Instead of Relocating

"We will commencement sharing your individual moving location information pinch you connected a monthly ground from January arsenic we do pinch different information specified arsenic chargeable hours," nan memo reads, per CNN. "This will thief to guarantee that nan caller argumentation is being reasonably and consistently applied crossed our business."

The caller argumentation takes effect January 1, 2025.

"Face-to-face moving is hugely important to a group business for illustration ours, and nan caller argumentation tips nan equilibrium of our moving week into being located alongside clients and colleagues," said Laura Hinton, managing partner astatine PwC UK, in a statement. "This feels correct for our business and correct for our people, fixed our attraction connected customer service, coaching, and learning and development. At nan aforesaid time, we proceed to connection elasticity done hybrid working."

Some experts, though, wonderment if nan move could bring down morale and make workers wary of their employers.

Related: C-Suite Executives Secretly Hoped Employees Would Quit After Implementing Return-to-Office Mandates, According to a New Survey

Kelly Tucker, nan laminitis of HR Star, a advisor firm, told HR magazine that maintaining spot is nan cardinal to making this argumentation work.

"Employers should regularly reappraisal nan necessity of tracking, and guarantee it doesn't erode trust," Tucker told nan outlet.

Still, PwC is hardly nan first institution to way employees' return (or not returning) to nan office. Amazon made nan word "coffee badging" mainstream earlier this summertime erstwhile it was reported nan institution is search really often labor swipe and really agelong they enactment successful nan office. Salesforce is besides reportedly search swipes.

Meanwhile, astatine Dell, and Amazon, distant labor are nary longer eligible for promotions.

While PwC did not adhd much specifics connected enforcement, a spokeswoman for PWC told CNN: "If nan monthly information shows personification is consistently breaching nan policy, we'd first want to understand nan reasons why."