Barclays is facing resistance from employees over plans to tighten its return-to-office requirements, with the UK lender set to increase mandatory office attendance from October.
Under the revised policy, managing directors will be required to work from the office four days a week, while other employees will generally be expected to attend the office at least three days a week. The changes are expected to affect around half of Barclays’ 45,000 employees in the UK, including staff in operations and technology roles.
The bank’s employee union, Unite, said it had received “significant feedback” from employees concerned about the proposed changes and had raised their concerns directly with Barclays.
Barclays said the revised requirements were intended to balance workplace flexibility with the benefits of in-person collaboration. It added that minimum office attendance requirements would vary by business area depending on the nature of the work and operational needs.
For senior leaders, the additional office day is intended to support collaboration, decision-making and leadership visibility.
The changes come as several European banks are also tightening hybrid-work arrangements. HSBC and Santander have increased their expectations around office attendance, while employees at TSB, which is being acquired by Santander, have also raised concerns over plans to require three days in the office from next year.
Unite has called on banks to assess how changes to working arrangements could affect employees’ work-life balance, wellbeing, productivity and ability to perform their roles. The union said any changes should be evidence-based and introduced in a way that supports both employees and business performance.
