Tim Ryan

Why We Chose Him:

PricewaterhouseCoopers demonstrates its care for family in its comprehensive, flexible and competitive employee benefits program. It provides access to programs that can be tailored to meet the personal health and financial well-being needs of its partners, staff and, notably, their families. It also provides resources and programs to help staff pursue their professional goals and support their personal and family needs.

New moms are paired up with veteran moms as part of this professional services firm's Mentor Moms program. Women dealing with the transition to motherhood receive guidance, coping tips, or just a sympathetic ear from an employee experienced in handling work and parenting. Among other family-focused benefits, backup childcare is set up and subsidized, with staff receiving reimbursement for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for fiscal year 2021) of backup care costs per year when their typical child or elder care falls through. And parents leaving the firm to care for their families full-time can participate in a program that helps them keep in touch with former colleagues and allows them to attend some firm trainings and events to stay sharp.

And, while PwC has long offered a number of flexible work options and care benefits to help its people better manage their work and home responsibilities, the company realized that, given the current environment, it needed to expand its existing offerings, understanding that there is simply no one-size-fits-all approach to meeting the needs of the people in its employ. 

In this past year, PwC has expanded its workplace flexibility, empowering people to block time during the day for any personal reasons. PwC has also committed to trying to shorten meetings by 25%, including implementing firmwide “no video Fridays” to help ease Zoom stress.

PwC has also, this past year, introduced new employee benefits, many of which are support for the family of the employee. Employees can take a sabbatical for four weeks up to six months. They can work a reduced schedule to have additional time to take care of personal priorities, and some jobs will be eligible for job sharing such that two individuals would fulfill the responsibilities of one 100%-full-time position. In addition to doubling the back-up care reimbursement noted above, PwC is offering discounts on nanny placements. New tutoring and coaching programs include academic enrichment programs, test prep support, and college admissions and financial aid guidance, and tuition programs. And PwC is offering local PwC “citizen-led” community support and professional coaching for caregivers, financial planning resources for parents and caregivers, and, at no cost, additional mental health support resources and sessions to PwC-ers and their families.

Benefits had already been extensive, touching employees’ lives in the office and at home. Employees enjoy year-round flex days; unprescribed sick time not just for themselves but also to care for a sick child, parent or spouse/domestic partner; and a generous vacation policy of between three weeks and one month per year — on top of "everyday flexibility" options that allow them to work where, when and how it best suits them and their teams. Staff of either gender with a new child — including adoptions — gets eight weeks of paid parental leave. And parents can phase in their return to work thanks to the option to work 60% of their hours at full-time pay for an additional four weeks. A nursing moms program provides support for new mothers who wish to continue to breastfeed after returning to work; available to all women as well as PwC spouses and domestic partners, the program provides discounted breastfeeding equipment and supplies and relevant prenatal information and counseling. For those who are having trouble conceiving, PwC offers infertility treatment benefits coverage nationwide.

PwC also offers what it calls the “Full-Circle Program,” an unpaid voluntary arrangement for staff in good standing who separate from the firm to devote themselves to full-time care giving. This program allows eligible participants to stay connected to the firm for up to five years. The extent of that relationship is entirely up to them and includes optional training, coaching, and networking programs. 

U.S. Chair and Senior Partner Tim Ryan is responsible for the setting the strategy and the tone on quality as well as leading the culture for the firm’s 55,000 employees and partners.