KPMG Canada exposes its employees to ‘tracking’

(Photo: Getty Images)

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Reveal Mattein. Extending by one day each weekend in July and August, KPMG Canada is now allowing all of its employees to handle “tracking”, under certain conditions.

Thus, regardless of their seniority, full-time members of his team will be able to work for up to a month abroad, or eight weeks in another Canadian province.

The idea behind the “KPMG Nomad” program is to allow their workers to “marry their personal and professional ambitions,” explains one of the instigators of the project, managing director of Talent Innovation and the company’s strategic investment, Louise Lutgens. Some of our employees have family elsewhere in the world, so we want to give them the option to spend time with her two years after the pandemic.”

At the moment, only five destinations are allowed, because they have a visa for Canadians: the Bahamas, Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. French citizens will be able to return to France, while Americans will have the right to put their bags in Florida.

“For us, there was a very strict due diligence on immigration, taxes, and labor rights before doing a country-by-country analysis. In the US, you have to make one for every state.”

KPMG Canada has leveraged its in-house expertise in tax, labor law and cybersecurity to solve a thorny issue. By the end of summer, other destinations will be added to the list, duly vetted.

“Italy, for example, is in the process of passing the traveler visa regulation. We will also check countries in Asia, because some have family there,”

Certain conditions apply

In order for an employee to work on the edge of the Caribbean beach, certain guidelines must be followed. For example, he will have to agree with his upstream team so that the distance does not interfere with cooperation between colleagues or services to clients.

Moreover, in order to be able to pack their belongings, the organization will have to verify the latter’s acceptance that the consultant provides them services even if it is outside the border.

Remote workers will also have to take a different device with them than the one they normally use if they plan to settle outside Canada and the US, in order to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. “The laptop will be equipped with additional security settings,” says Louise Lutgens.

To facilitate these steps, KPMG has created an application that allows them to automate the processing and centralize all information related to an employee’s vacation.

Pledge of trust

Since this program, which they’ve been working on for three months, is still in its early stages, some tweaks could be made along the way.

One thing is for sure, that KPMG’s goal is to ensure that its employees can benefit from it, if their application meets their conditions. The reception is really good. “Employees tell us they can’t believe we offered them this. It is innovative and different. It resonates with them.”

Especially as KMPG Nomade caters to the flexibility needs expressed by its employees.

“Loyalty is one of our most important issues, and that highlights the framework. Our employees have shown us that over the past two years they have served our clients from our offices starting from the kitchen or their bedroom. Efficiency is more important than where they work.

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