NatWest is requiring 30,000 employees to attend the office at least two days a week from February, marking a shift away from flexible working arrangements that became widespread during the Covid pandemic. The bank said the move to a hybrid approach remains competitive within the finance industry and that exceptions will be made for workers needing additional flexibility.
The change affects two groups of staff. Unite said NatWest is abolishing its remote-first employment category, which allows 13,497 workers to attend the office around twice a month, while requiring 17,272 hybrid workers to increase their office attendance. The union argued that many of the affected workers are in lower-paid grades and that the new requirements will increase cost-of-living pressures, disrupt arrangements for disabled workers and carers, and raise travel and childcare costs.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham called NatWest's decision a "kick in the teeth" for its workforce, saying the bank was imposing changes while "reneging on existing agreements" and showing "complete contempt for its workforce". She called on NatWest to scrap the proposals and engage properly with workers. The union said the decision was "out of touch with the realities facing its workforce".
NatWest defended its position by stating that flexible working remains important but that the bank has "learned more about the value that spending time together brings for our colleagues and customers - helping teams collaborate, share ideas, build relationships and learn from one another". The bank said it was giving staff time to plan ahead and would support them through the transition.
NatWest's move reflects a broader trend across the finance sector. Amazon required staff to return to the office five days a week in January last year after they had been working two days at home. Other firms including Boots and JP Morgan have brought in policies requiring head office staff to be in every day, though Barclays faced a backlash from staff last month over plans to require workers to go to the office three days a week and responded by introducing a longer transition period.