McKinsey wants staff to come to office more: ‘Spending time in person better’

McKinsey plans to increase office days for North American staff to limit remote work, sparking discontent among consultants.

McKinsey may increase the number of days that it expects staffers across North America to spend in the office each week as the consultancy attempts to limit remote work. Senior partners in Miami and Boston told employees in town halls that they may soon be expected to return to the office more often, Bloomberg reported. The stricter action would likely also apply to employees who are “on the beach"- term used to describe consultants that are in-between projects.

McKinsey may require more office attendance for North American employees, aiming to reduce remote work. This decision has upset some consultants who prefer flexible arrangement. (Reuters)

McKinsey employees unhappy with decision?

The comments stirred anger among some of the company’s consultants who often work remotely when they aren’t currently assigned to a project, the report claimed. These staffers are usually only in the office when they need to meet with clients or when they’ve flown to sites to see customers, it added.

Eric Kutcher, a senior partner and chair of McKinsey’s North America business, said in a memo to staff, “Our approach will balance the best of in-person apprenticeship and connectivity with what we have learned over the past few years. It is worth emphasizing — we will define a renewed set of expectations, not a policy — as has always been the case in our firm.”

“We know that spending time in person — in client team rooms and in our offices — leads to better apprenticeship, stronger client impact, more innovation and a stronger social fabric,” he said.

More and more companies asking employees to work from office

This comes as McKinsey’s rival PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP recently told UK staffers that they must spend at least 60% of their time in the office or with clients, up from a previous requirement of between two and three days a week. Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy also ordered employees to return to the office five days a week beginning in January, up from the three days a week.

McKinsey also found in its own research that flexible work arrangements have been especially valued by working women. The company said in its latest Women in the Workplace report, “Employees consistently point to greater productivity and reduced burnout as primary benefits of hybrid work options and flexibility is especially important to women, who report having more focused time to get their work done when working remotely.”