Creating a Thriving Work Environment

At KPMG, our unwavering commitment to audit quality is fueled by the passion, dedication, and collaborative spirit of our auditors. We understand that for our professionals to deliver their best work, a supportive and healthy work environment is crucial.

The recent PCAOB Staff Spotlight Report highlights the critical role of a positive audit firm culture in sustaining audit quality. The findings suggest that firm culture can significantly influence audit outcomes, either enhancing or detracting from their quality.

At KPMG, we embrace this perspective and prioritize work-life balance, mental health, well-being, and continuous learning to maintain a positive culture that drives exceptional performance.

Key Initiatives for a Thriving Work Environment:

1. Reimagining the nature of our work: We’ve executed and expanded a multi-year initiative to reimagine our audits by pulling work forward, focusing on standardization, centralization, and automation. These efforts reduce the burden of the traditional busy season, allowing our teams to concentrate on high-risk areas and improve work-life balance. This approach has led to more efficient audits and an enhanced experience for both our people and clients.
2. Workplace Friendships and Talent Pipeline: Learning and development are central to our continuous improvement mindset. Our immersive approach combines off-site learning with audit experience, supported by on-demand micro-learnings and ongoing coaching. KPMG Lakehouse, our cultural home, serves as the venue where our people learn, grow, and connect. According to the KPMG Friends at Work survey, 81% of professionals find work friendships vital, with 78% noting positive mental health benefits. This commitment to fostering relationships helps us attract and retain top talent, creating an environment where individuals feel valued, motivated, and connected.
3. Leveraging Technology and AI: KPMG integrates GenAI into workflows to streamline tasks and provide intelligent insights, allowing employees to focus on higher-value work and improving work-life balance. The KPMG Friends at Work survey also showed that 78% of professionals believe AI will positively impact their work-life balance. Our Trusted AI framework ensures rigorous testing and upskilling of our people, enhancing audit quality and delivering better insights. Our strategy includes leading the profession in embedding AI to improve audit quality and efficiency, reducing the burden on the companies we audit.
4. Continuous Learning: We emphasize continuous learning both within and beyond the workplace, offering mentorship, learning and development opportunities, and benefits that support employees throughout their careers. By attracting diverse talent, enhancing CPA candidates’ caliber, and building trust in capital markets through university partnerships and investments in future talent, we ensure our professionals are well-equipped to deliver top-quality audits.
5. Well-being Initiatives: We focus on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment enriched by meaningful connections. Initiatives such as TEG (Thrive, Engage, and GROW) Talks and a new Holiday wellness challenge promote the health and wellness of our employees. TEG Talks cover topics like building high-performance teams and managing stress, while the Holiday wellness challenge encourages employees to prioritize their health.

At KPMG, our people are our greatest asset. Their mental health and well-being are crucial to our success. By prioritizing well-being, collaboration, and workplace friendships, we can continue to deliver exceptional audit quality while ensuring our professionals’ happiness and fulfillment. Together For Better, we can achieve remarkable outcomes.