The writer is a professor in the management of professional services and author of ‘Leading Professionals: Power, Politics, and Prima Donnas’

Depending on who you listen to, the pandemic-inspired shift to hybrid working is either a fundamental threat to how professional firms do business, or an exciting opportunity to address profound problems within the professional sector. 

At one extreme is Goldman Sachs, insisting its staff return to the office full time. At the other extreme is Deloitte UK, which recently announced that employees are free to choose when, where and how they work. Many leading professional firms have adopted an intermediate position, with staff allowed to work from home two or three days per week. Whether hybrid working is viewed as helpful or harmful, the consensus is that it represents a once-in-a-generation reconfiguration of professional work.