What is independence?
Independence can be described as integrity, professional skepticism, intellectual honesty, objectivity, and freedom from conflicts of interest both in fact and appearance. Independence touches on a wide range of topics, from the services provided by Deloitte right down to your own personal finances.
We must remain unbiased and free from conflicts of interest, in fact and appearance. Independence is ingrained in our policies, methods, procedures, and training and is reinforced by quality control and accountability measures.
Careful attention to independence helps in our ongoing efforts to protect, preserve, and enhance our reputation—for Deloitte, our clients, and our people.
While application of the rules will vary based on level and role within Deloitte, some level of independence rules apply to all Deloitte personnel, even those who do not serve clients.
Tell us about you
Personal independence for candidates
Welcome! You’re considering joining Deloitte. Joining a new organization is a big decision, and we want you to be fully prepared to start working with us. You’ll need time to consider what independence means for you personally and to identify any changes you’ll need to make in order to comply with our independence policies. As you continue to explore this page, think about how independence could impact your personal situation as a professional with Deloitte.
Please do the following:
- Review the common independence topics below and consider whether any might raise potential questions for you.
- If you have specific questions, contact Independence Compliance Onboarding by email to ask an independence advisor.
- Should you receive an offer letter, read the paragraphs about independence requirements prior to accepting the employment offer with the Deloitte US Firms.
Personal independence for spouses: Important conversations for couples
Whether your spouse already works for Deloitte, is considering joining Deloitte, or perhaps is up for a promotion or job change at Deloitte, it’s important to understand the basics of independence.
As a condition of employment, Deloitte professionals must comply with Deloitte independence policy requirements. Personal independence affects not only our professionals but also their spouses and dependents because our regulators view Deloitte professionals and their spouse as the same in many situations. Therefore, it’s important to understand your collective responsibilities and independence requirements as the spouse of a prospective or current Deloitte professional.
A spouse’s involvement in financial relationship reporting is critical to helping our professionals meet their personal independence compliance requirements. When approaching a personal or family financial decision, please do the following:
- Make new financial decisions together. Deloitte professionals can utilize the pre-clear functionality in our systems; contact the Independence & Conflicts Network with any questions or concerns.
- Communicate financial, employment, and business relationships to your spouse so they can report all financial relationships in our systems timely and monitor thereafter to maintain compliance and resolve any instances of non-compliance.
- Be mindful of changes due to certain life events, and work with your spouse to keep current with all your financial and employment relationships and validate compliance.
Please view the Types of relationships below together with your spouse.
Personal independence for current Deloitte professionals
If you are a current Deloitte professional, you can access independence information on the Independence & Conflicts Network Resources page on the intranet by entering “Independence” in the search bar.
Newly hired professionals frequently need to take one or more of the following actions:
Transfer investments to a new broker/financial advisor
Roll over former employer 401(k) and other benefit plans
Cease outside employment at restricted entities (including part-time or weekend employment)
Sell investments in restricted entities that are not permissible
Types of relationships
Below is only a partial list of common financial relationships and scenarios that are subject to reporting and/or ongoing monitoring. Some may require divestiture or other actions to comply with independence policies. Facts and circumstances are considered when applying the rules.
Financial relationships
Employment relationships
Outside employment and activities
Other business relationships
FAQs
Is “independence compliance” a one-time exercise?
No. Certain events or milestones happen in your life, which can affect your family structure, finances, investments, and employment. The impact and any resulting independence consideration for you and your spouse that arises from a life event should be carefully looked at, reported, and reviewed. Examples of life events that should prompt you to reevaluate your financial relationships include:
- Additions to your family.
- Purchasing a new home.
- Establishing, having influence over, or being named beneficiary of a trust.
- Transferring to a new office.
What tools can I access now, as a spouse/spousal equivalent or a candidate, to look up specific questions I have?
As a spouse/spousal equivalent of a current Deloitte
professional or a candidate for employment, you will not
have access to Deloitte’s independence systems.
However, as a spouse or spousal equivalent, you can support
your Deloitte professional with independence matters by
directly contacting the Compliance HelpDesk (CHD) for
assistance. If your Deloitte professional wishes to enable
this option, they should reach out to the CHD at
1-877-862-6759 and request the authorization form. Once the
form is reviewed and approved, your spouse or spousal
equivalent can call the CHD and press #8 for
assistance.
Candidates may contact Independence Compliance Onboarding
via email
at complianceonboarding@deloitte.com for
help with evaluating personal independence circumstances and
to make the transition to Deloitte as easy as possible.