No more 9-5 as Deloitte lets employees choose their own hours

Deloitte staff will design their own work arrangements under a radical new plan.

DeloitteFlex includes the right to decide when to take short breaks during the day, the right to purchase more annual leave or take three months of unpaid leave for career reasons.

Working nine-to-five is set to become ancient history at professional services firm Deloitte Australia, with employees now allowed to choose their own hours of work daily.

The move to demolish the traditional concept of core hours at the desk will see staff across the business design their own working arrangements, a move that CEO Adam Powick says is one of the most significant shifts he has seen in more than three decades of work.

“We are asking our people to take more responsibility for designing their work week around their clients and teams and personal commitments,” Mr Powick said.

Adam Powick, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Australia Picture: Lucas Dawson

“We are saying that the days of nine-to-five in the office every day have gone, so you have the flexibility to dial up and dial down through the week.

“There is no one size fits all working week anymore and no requirement to be ‘in the office’ for any set amount of time.”

The change is part of a package of 12 flexible work arrangements released on Wednesday by Deloitte. DeloitteFlex includes an extra paid day of “wellbeing leave” and the right of employees to swap public holidays for cultural or religious days. These have been added to other existing flexible polices around leave and time management.

The flexibility around hours is an “explicit recognition of the trust (we have) that employees (will) make the right decisions” according to Mr Powick.

“It’s a move away from inputs and hours and a focus on output and outcomes. I am not particularly fussed about the number of hours that people work, I am much more fussed about the outcomes they deliver.”

Even so, Deloitte expects a “sensible minimum” of hours from employees and will still require time sheets, recording billable hours for clients.

However, Mr Powick suggested time sheets will become less important over time.

“In our industry they are still required for certain types of engagement because we have to show our clients the hours, but over time they will become less important and there will be more focus on values and outcomes,” he said.

He said the shift to more responsibility for employees was underway before Covid-19 but the pandemic had “significantly accelerated this shift. We have learnt that the balance between virtual and physical work is something we need to get right and we need to trust employees”.

Chief HR Officer at Deloitte Tina McCreery, said: “We know our people work hard and that’s why we have made the shift – the element of trust and empowerment is there.”

The wellbeing day is being promoted internally as a “recharge and refresh” day with employees able to use it for anything from yoga to binge television.

“We are saying, we want you to take a day out and do what you want to do,” Ms McCreery said.

DeloitteFlex includes the right to decide when to take short breaks during the day, the right to purchase more annual leave or take three months of unpaid leave for career reasons.

Deloitte operations in Canada, the US and the UK are in the process of releasing similar policies giving more autonomy to employees.