EY staff to work from home permanently despite easing of lockdown restrictions

Workers at accountancy firm EY will be expected to work from home for at least two days a week even after coronavirus restrictions are lifted, the company told staff on Monday.

The coronavirus pandemic which has changed office life as we knew it, is having permanent effects as Ernst & Young told UK employees that 17,000 staff will move to a “hybrid working model”. This means they will have to combine working from home, going to the office and visiting clients.

According to the Guardian, Hywel Ball, EY’s UK chair, said: "The experience of the pandemic has brought new perspectives to our people and our clients on how they manage their working lives."

He added that he believed "there will always be a need for EY to have office space across the UK, but how we use our offices in the future will change with a greater emphasis on collaboration rather than as a place for individual working."

EY’s announcement comes after two of its other 'Big Four' accountancy rivals also said they would switch to hybrid models.