Tue, October 20, 2026 at 2:33 PM UTC
NatWest is forcing tens of thousands of staff members back into the office in the latest crackdown on remote working.
The high street bank has told roughly 13,500 “remote-first” employees who currently go into work just two days a month that they will be expected in the office at least two days a week.
The new policy will also require a further 17,000 hybrid workers, who currently only have to be in the office for three days a fortnight, to come in more regularly. The changes will come into effect from February next year.
Exceptions will be allowed for those with caring responsibilities or medical issues, but will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the Unite union, said the policy change was “out of touch” and showed “contempt” for workers.
She said: “This is yet another kick in the teeth for workers who have suffered years of real-terms pay cuts and who are struggling to make ends meet.
“NatWest’s decision is completely out of touch with the realities facing its workforce. Thousands of workers face higher travel and childcare costs and disruption to caring responsibilities.”
NatWest is the latest in a string of major banks that have faced pushback from staff over attempts to force employees back into the office.
Barclays delayed an overhaul of its hybrid working policy last month, which would have forced employees to work from the office three days a week.
The changes will now come into force at the start of 2027 after a backlash from staff, who demanded extra pay to cover commuting costs and exemptions for any employees whose commutes were longer than 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, staff at TSB have started preparing legal action over plans to force them to work in the office three days a week following the bank’s £2.7bn takeover by Santander.
The Government has vowed to make it harder for employers to block staff from working remotely and has outlined plans to force businesses to “properly consider” flexible work requests.
The changes would require companies to hold a face-to-face meeting with staff to explain why their home working requests had been rejected.
A NatWest spokesman said: “Flexible working remains an important part of how we work but we’ve also 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.
“That’s why we’re introducing a more consistent approach across the bank, with colleagues expected to spend at least two days a week in the office, depending on the needs of their role and business area.”
