Work-from-home policies are holding back young Brits at the start of their careers, the boss of PwC has claimed.

Marco Amitrano, chief executive of the accounting giant, said policies brought in during the Covid pandemic had “good intentions” but have ultimately led to “adverse consequences” for young people.

“Covid didn’t help and in this country in particular, post-Covid, some of the policies that the public sector- or the private sector- implemented…all with good intention, butl like everything with good intention has has some adverse consequences,” he told The Times.

He added that the “focus on mental health and wellbeing” has excaberated the issue, urging employers to “actively engage” with their staff.

“Once you’ve said ‘just go home’ then it’s out of sight and out of control,” he said.

Back to the office

In a bid to combat the issue, a number of prominent employers are encouraging staff to return to the office. Many fear home working is holding back productivity and preventing younger staff from progressing professionally.

PwC staff are required to be in the office or with clients three days a week or 60 per cent of the time. Meanwhile, Hargreaves Lansdown has ordered staff to return to the office three days a week from the beginning of 2027.

Barclays initially also ordered its 45,000 strong workforce to increase attendance from two days to three days a week from October 5, but pushed back the date until next year following union pushback.

But, the government is planning to make it harder for employers to prevent staff from working at home, by bringing in a new law mandating they must meet employees face-to-face and provide a “justifiable reason” to block a a work from home request.

Worries for young people

Amitrano’s comments also come amid soaring worries about young people leaving the workplace or ultimately being unable to enter the workforce. Roughly a million 16 to 24 year olds in the UK are not in employment, education or training (NEETs).

But PwC itself reduced its own graduate intake to 1,300 from 1,500 last year, which it blamed on tough market conditions for advisory services.

Amitrano, whoo took as chief executive in 2024, insisted the firm has “maintained an absolute commitment to the hiring of young people”, taking on 1,300 graduates this year.

He said: “You have to recognise that success…is not reducing it to zero, because there are different reasons why someone might be in a position that you call NEET.

“But…it’s got to a point where it’s too high.”