PwC Japan Group opens new office in Otemachi, Tokyo to support new ways of working in the era of a ‘new normal’

Promoting digital transformation, creating new experiences and adding value for clients through collaboration among PwC staff

5 February 2021
PwC Japan Group

The PwC Japan Group (Group Chairman and Territory Senior Partner: Koichiro Kimura) will open a new office at Otemachi One Tower in Otemachi, Tokyo, that will support new ways of working in the era of a ‘new normal’.

Approximately 3,500 employees from PwC Consulting LLC, PwC Tax Japan and affiliates of PwC Tax Japan have been relocating to the new office since the end of December 2020, with full-scale operations scheduled to start on 15 February. The new office is designed around the concept of ‘co-creation’, and actively promotes collaboration between employees.

Under this new normal, where uncertainty in the future is high, the PwC Japan Group aims to create an environment where flexible working styles suited to specific purposes can be realised, while also making full use of technology. When employees are working by themselves and need to focus and concentrate, they will be able to work at home, or come to the office and use space designed for this purpose. When inspiration and creativity with colleagues and clients is called for, the new office provides collaboration spaces enhanced with digital technologies; this facilitates contributions by those joining in person and those joining remotely. Through a combination of innovative space design and the latest technologies, a new work environment has been created. 

The new office is designed with different concepts for each floor, such as ‘Sports’, ‘Arts’ and ‘Academics’. Each floor is connected by internal stairs, which encourages informal encounters and spontaneous communication among employees, thus facilitating the sharing of ideas, creating new experiences, and adding value for clients. New technologies, such as location information and capacity monitoring, also support business infrastructure and promote operational efficiency through digital transformation.

The PwC Japan Group began implementing workstyle reform, such as working from home, before COVID-19. With the new office, which allows employees to choose when and where they want to work and thereby achieve their potential, these reforms can be pushed even further. 

Together with PricewaterhouseCoopers Arata LLC, PwC Advisory LLC, and PwC Legal Japan*, located at the Otemachi Park Building, the PwC Japan Group is now consolidated in Otemachi to further strengthen collaboration among staff and streamline operations among its lines of service.

* PwC Legal Japan relocated to the Otemachi Park Building on 21 December.

Overview of the new office

1. Innovative design 

• The office is designed to encourage employees to move freely and frequently, and thus to facilitate informal encounters and spontaneous communication. This is achieved by connecting floors internally, and through allocation of each floor’s space on a functional basis.
  
• The furniture and design of each floor has been tailored to a particular concept—‘Sports,’ ‘Art,’ and ‘Academics’—to encourage innovation and creativity. Employees can choose the floor and area where they want to work to suit their mood each day.
  

‘Sports’ (19th floor)

This space encourages creativity through colourful and novel design, and through the use of unique design features, such as basketball goals. Each work area has adjacent collaborative space. A large central screen provides viewing capability, not only for project information, but also to watch sporting events.

2. Enhanced business infrastructure through technology

Location information and capacity monitoring

Through the office Wi-Fi, the location of mobile devices can be identified. This provides a mechanism to find colleagues using a search function.
The same system permits capacity monitoring of the office space. Staff will be able to check the office occupancy in real time from home before commuting, which will help them to avoid the 3 Cs (closed spaces, crowded spaces, and close-contact situations) in the office.

Meeting room reservations

PwC has introduced Google Workspace™ globally. In the new office, the meeting room reservation system is linked directly to Google Calendar. In this way, availability of both internal and external meeting rooms can be viewed directly in Google Calendar, but also on a layout map or on digital signage installed in shared spaces throughout the office. Through these tools, we can improve the efficiency of booking and using meeting rooms.

All new systems are accessible both on PCs and mobile devices.

Details of the new office

• Address: Otemachi One Tower, Otemachi 1-2-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
  
• Number of staff: Approximately 3,500 (from the following PwC Japan companies)
  
  • PwC Consulting LLC
    
  • PwC Tax Japan
  • PwC Outsourcing Services LLC 
  • PwC Labor and Social Security Attorney Corporation
  • PwC Gyoseishoshi-Hojin 
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers WMS Pte. Ltd.
• Opening day: 15 February 2021
  
• Access and map:
  • Direct connection from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, Hanzomon Line, Tozai Line, Marunouchi Line, Mita Line: Otemachi Station, C4,C5 Exit
  • JR: Tokyo Station, Marunouchi Central Exit