About PwC

PwC’s assurance practice (6,000 of their people) has recently been affected by significant regulatory change. Recognising the impact this can have on their people’s engagement, the Assurance Leadership Team hosted a series of 'What if?' events. Their purpose were to create an opportunity for all of their people, from their newest graduates to their most experienced partners, to explore three cultural elements (commercial acumen, leadership and relationships) that were deemed to be strategically important to the future success of assurance and dare each other to do something different. They were highly participative discussions and have been welcomed by many of their people for providing an opportunity to think differently and energise teams to get excited about the challenges that a changing audit industry provides. Meanwhile, people in their tax practice feel under intense scrutiny from recent press attention on high profile corporate tax arrangements of well-known global companies. To address this, the tax leadership team hosted a series of morality debates open to all of their people with the aim to restore their people’s pride in the role they play in the tax system and to help their people feel confident talking about it. An attendee said: "I thought it was a really interesting and balanced debate. I understand a lot more about the issues and could now have a good conversation with clients about it if I needed to." Engagement in tax has increased significantly by 0.10 to 4.05 out of 5.

The best example of how PwC support their people’s development is their increased use of technology to make learning more relevant, flexible and more closely aligned with their work. Their use of technology helps them to maximise the quality, efficiency and speed of delivery to meet the needs of the business and their people. A great example is their first ever UK live virtual conference, where 500 new managers had the opportunity to network with board members, partners and peers from their desks and hear about their strategy. They tested their systems beyond limits previously explored and delivered a different style of event which has the potential to transform the training opportunities they offer their people. Increased flexibility in how, when, and where people attended the conference provided a distinctive, innovative experience, meeting the evolving needs of the business. 5,893 business card swops (Vcards) were used to help participants feel connected throughout the day. They’re also developing their people through technology that enables ‘self-directed learning’, such as via mobiles using a platform called IQ. IQ enables them to securely deliver a variety of content such as videos, podcasts, tutor notes, job aids and short courses to personal or PwC mobile devices. It’s accessible without the need for network connection, so they can get content to their people quickly when they need it. Other examples of self-directed learning include e-learns, webcasts for delivery of knowledge/content but then followed up by face to face action learning groups to help embed the learning.

PwC matched giving programme allows them to donate a proportion of their charitable funds to charities chosen by their people, boosting the funds they’ve raised during their own time through a wide range of activities. They match the first £250 their staff actively raise for voluntary organisations and registered charities. In 2013, over 910 of their people applied to the programme and they contributed almost £200,000 to 250 charities and voluntary organisations. If their staff volunteers in their own time, they can also apply for a Blueprint Volunteering Standard Award of £250 for their charity or community organisation and if they’re able to demonstrate an outstanding commitment, they can also apply for a larger donation to their charity or community organisation through their annual Blueprint Volunteering Excellence Awards.