Barclays staff revolt against tightened work from home policy
Barclays is facing growing backlash from its own staff over a decision to tighten its home working policy.
Thousands of staff have backed a call to exempt from the bank’s decision to enforce working in the office three days a week.
Employees at the London listed bank have also demanded a one-off payment to offset the costs of coming in more, according to reports in the Financial Times. Demands also include exempting from the rules those who live more than 40 minutes away from the office.
Under the fresh mandate, senior leaders are expected to come in four days a week, compared to other staffs’ three. The current policy states thousands of full-time workers must be in the office two days a week.
The move sparked a wave of backlash, with more than 1,000 staff signing a letter organised by the union Unite, which represents nearly 80 per cent of the banking giant’s 45,000 UK staff.
“Thousands of employees have signed the letter and figures continue to rise,” said Rick Coyle, a national officer at Unite.
“Unite will be speaking to Barclays about the strength of feeling in the days ahead.”
The row comes just days after the government unveiled plans to give workers greater rights in requesting working from home arrangements.
Global resistance
The uproar from staff marks Barclays as the latest global bank to face resistance to efforts to limit remote working practices that became the norm during the pandemic.
Last year staff at JP Morgan signed internal petitions protesting against a mandate forcing them back into the office five days a week, while Hargreaves Lansdown will also order staff back to the workplace for three days a week upon the firm’s move to its new Bristol office.
Unite is also seeking greater flexibility for staff who have caring responsibilities and those who want to commute at cheaper off-peak times.
The union said the lender’s proposals would create “substantial challenges for many employees” and accused Barclays of failing to provide an “evidence-based rationale” for its return-to-office plans.
It added that 94 per cent of respondents to its latest survey had said they wanted the changes delayed until consultations with Unite had concluded.
“Our members think that Barclays is trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Coyle.
Resisting demands
The FTSE 100 giant is yet to agree to the demands but it is engaging with the union on its return to office shake up.
The bank said: “We recognise the benefits of balancing flexibility for colleagues with the importance of working together in our physical locations. Our minimum time in office requirements vary by business area, reflecting the nature of the work and the needs of the business.”
“This means that most of our colleagues who are not already working in the office three days [a week] will align with our broader approach across the bank. Alongside this, our most senior leaders will spend an additional day in the office to support collaboration, decision-making and leadership visibility.”