In a recent internal survey at Deloitte, 96 % of the staff wanted the freedom to choose their working patterns.

Deloitte has given its 20,000 UK employees the option of working from home (or wherever they want) forever, even after all the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Richard Houston, Senior Partner and Chief Executive officer of Deloitte UK, said the accounting firm will not make it mandatory for employees to work for a set number of days from office or specific locations.

The new rules mean that the employees can work from anywhere as long as they are in the UK. However, Deloitte is also considering whether staff can work abroad for a period in the future, the report said.

Some 15,000 Deloitte employees responded to an internal survey regarding the long run of work at the Big Four firm, with more than 80% of those saying they expected to work from a Deloitte office for ‘2’ days or fewer per week.

More than 90% of Deloitte’s workforce said ‘choice’ and ‘flexibility’ ought to be at the heart of how the business operates in future.

Deloitte senior partner and chief executive officer Richard Houston said: “The impact of the pandemic has deeply modified our way of life, not least in the way we work. The last year has extremely shown that one size does not fit all when it comes to balancing work and personal lives.

“It has also shown that we can trust our people to make the right choice in when, how and where they work.”

He continued: “Once the Govt. has lifted all of the Covid-19 restrictions and we’re back up to full office capability, we are going to let our people choose where they want to be to do their best work, in balance with their professional and personal responsibilities.

However, Deloitte is also considering whether the staff can work abroad for a period in the future, the report said.

Deloitte said once the restrictions are eased its offices will principally be used for team collaboration, training and client meetings or conferences.

The other Big Four accounting companies – KPMG, PwC and EY – have said employees must head to the office two-three days a week.