Grant Thornton Staff in UK Want to Stay Home After Pandemic, in New Blow to the Office

In a fresh blow to the office, staff at one of the UK’s largest accountancy firms have given strong support to working mostly from home after the pandemic subsides.

A survey of Grant Thornton UK LLP employees found that 88% wanted to spend most of their time working remotely, with broad support across age groups and locations, a spokesperson for the firm said on Wednesday.

The poll is the latest sign that the flexible working patterns adopted at speed during the Covid-19 outbreak will lead to lasting changes as restrictions ease and vaccination rates rise. Rival accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers has given UK workers Friday afternoons off this summer and said staff can choose their start and finish times.

Grant Thornton will analyze the findings alongside feedback from clients in the coming weeks before setting out its plans on working patterns, according to the spokesperson. The survey results were first published by the Financial Times.

“We started 2020 with strong foundations and despite the pandemic we entered 2021 in an even stronger position,” said Chief Executive Officer Dave Dunckley in Grant Thornton’s annual report released on Wednesday. “We are confident that the momentum we’ve generated over recent years will continue to take us from strength to strength in the future.”

Grant Thornton, which is currently acting as administrator for the supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital, reported a 2.5% fall in net income to 471 million pounds ($650 million) last year.

Photograph: A pedestrian passes office buildings reflecting One St. Mary’s Axe, also known The Gherkin, in London, on Monday, March 22, 2021. Photo credit: Jason Alden/Bloomberg.