People - Case Studies

OASIS

In December 2006 in Kenya, the OASIS programme brought together over 50 individuals from around the world who had previously participated in local PwC emerging leaders' development programmes.

OASIS is designed as part of a range of radical and stimulating learning opportunities that contribute to building a pool of talented people from which our future top leaders may emerge. A core objective is to provide an experiential programme for the next generation of key talent to enable them to model responsible, sustainable and authentic leadership in all the contexts in which they work – with clients, with our people and as ambassadors for the firm and in their communities.

As well as focussing on encouraging participants to develop their own personal leadership values, OASIS pushes the boundaries further and also focuses on the influence an organisation such as PwC can (and does) have locally, nationally and globally.

OASIS is a truly experiential development programme. Over the course of the week we were put into some uncomfortable and challenging situations but with immense benefit as we were able to observe and experience first hand the change people can make when they have passion and enthusiasm to make a difference.

One of the highlights for me was visiting Mukuuru school; a primary school in the slums of Nairobi. Here we had the opportunity to have a discussion with the school children and learnt about their lives in the slum. Although these were probably some of the world's most disadvantaged children, they all had a vision for a better life they wanted to make for themselves and a resolve to make that happen. The teachers, their leaders, were instrumental in providing this to them together with a grounded guided hand and realistic approach.

The teachers demonstrated wisdom and respect for the environment and society by basing their decisions on core personal and community values. They were living and demonstrating their values every day.

A primary school in Kenya is perhaps not an obvious place for drawing on experience to help us all with our own leadership challenges and work at PwC – but that was part of the point. The actions of the teachers clearly illustrated that there is a mutual interdependency between business and communities.

Throughout the week, with experiences such as this, it became clearer to me that business leadership must have at its core an ability to do the right thing. The link between community and business is especially relevant for PwC, a firm that stands in the global arena as a symbol of ethical behaviour, accountability and reputation.

Since returning from Kenya I have been increasingly aware of the term 'Responsible Leadership'. I am probably still struggling to make sense of all my thoughts on this and do not yet have complete clarity. But I know I want to contribute to an agenda of how PwC can be a force for good, whilst also recognising the economic imperatives for us to remain a successful enterprise to allow a continued influence in the world.

Nicola Roberts
Senior Manager, Tax

Zest For Life

Zest for life at PwC aims to provide an environment that encourages all our people to choose a healthy lifestyle focussing on getting active, nutrition and working smarter. It brings together a diverse range of health and wellbeing activities including 'Desk Survival' sessions; the 'Cycle to Work' scheme; PwC's Health and Fitness team helping with marathon training; wellness days; healthier catering; smoking cessation and weight watchers clinics; massage and exercise classes. The Fit for Life course is open to all staff and focuses on nutrition, fitness and stress management and, says one participant “it offered me a new way of life which enables a better lifestyle for me and also me at work”. In addition the firm offers private medical benefits and health screening, holistic therapies like reflexology and Pilates and, in some offices, on-site dentist and physiotherapy services.

PwC Special Needs Child Support Network

In 2003, the firm offered John Cowling, a Senior Manager in Tax at the time, the opportunity to set up and run the PwC Special Needs Child Support Network for partners and staff with special needs children. John wanted to use his experience of raising a son with special needs to help other parents in his position.

“The idea behind the network is that if around one in six children in the UK has special needs, ranging from those with moderate learning difficulties to those with severe learning difficulties / physical handicaps, then a substantial number of other colleagues will be going through the same challenges as me. Whilst large national charities do a fantastic job, a fellow employee understands much better the work arrangements that need to be factored into caring for a child with special needs. We already share the same language and logistics, so it was easier to communicate in PwC.”

John helps parents not only connect with each other but also search for new schools, look at options post-school, complete the paperwork involved for claims and additional benefits and research new treatments. He also runs a regular conference call discussion forum which alternates between a focus on a specific condition and general topics.