NatWest is facing opposition from trade union Unite after announcing that more than 30,000 employees will be required to attend the office at least twice a week from February.
The changes affect 13,497 “remote-first” employees, who currently attend approximately twice a month, and 17,272 hybrid workers who attend three times a fortnight. The remote-first category will be abolished.
- NatWest is ending its remote-first working category and increasing office attendance requirements for 30,769 employees.
- Unite warns that higher commuting and childcare costs will disproportionately affect lower-paid workers, carers and disabled employees.
- The decision follows stricter attendance policies at Barclays and JPMorgan, while UK insurers face mounting recruitment and retention pressures.
NatWest, which employs approximately 59,000 people, said the requirements remain competitive within financial services. Exceptions will be available for employees needing additional flexibility. Existing “office-first” staff, including branch employees and traders who already attend four days a week, will not be affected.
Unite challenges NatWest’s return-to-office policy
Unite described the changes as “out of touch with the realities facing its workforce”, warning that higher commuting and childcare costs would place additional pressure on employees.
The union said many affected workers occupy lower-paid positions, while mandatory attendance could disrupt arrangements for disabled employees and those with caring responsibilities.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, described the decision as “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”.
Thousands of workers face higher travel and childcare costs and disruption to caring responsibilities. For NatWest to impose these changes while reneging on existing agreements shows complete contempt for its workforce.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary
Caren Evans, Unite’s national officer for finance, argued that existing arrangements had worked successfully for years.
“For many workers, homeworking is not a perk. It is what allows them to balance work with caring responsibilities or manage a health condition,” Evans said.
Unite also accused NatWest of proceeding without meaningful consultation, claiming the decision conflicted with a previous pay agreement containing a jointly negotiated framework for discussing changes to office attendance.
NatWest defended its approach, citing the benefits of in-person collaboration, stronger working relationships and opportunities for employees to share knowledge.
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.
The bank added that employees would receive time and support to adjust to the requirements.
Barclays and JPMorgan impose stricter office attendance
NatWest’s announcement follows similar moves across banking, although efforts to increase office attendance have encountered employee resistance.
Barclays faced opposition after telling approximately 45,000 UK employees that most would need to attend the office three days a week from 5 October, up from two, with senior employees expected to attend four days.
Thousands signed an open letter coordinated by Unite. Barclays subsequently introduced transitional measures allowing employees, with managerial approval, to defer the requirements until early 2027.
TSB employees have also threatened legal action over plans to introduce a mandatory three-day office week following the bank’s takeover by Santander.
US investment banks have generally adopted stricter policies. JPMorgan, whose chief executive Jamie Dimon has repeatedly criticised remote working, ordered employees back five days a week last year. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have also adopted full-time office attendance requirements.
Outside financial services, Amazon and Boots have introduced five-day office policies for relevant corporate employees.
UK insurers face recruitment and retention pressures
The debate also has implications for insurance companies and brokers, where employers are struggling to recruit and retain experienced professionals.
Gallagher Bassett’s 2026 Carrier Perspective report found that 72% of surveyed UK insurers were having greater difficulty recruiting qualified candidates, with employee retention ranked as their leading business challenge.
A survey at the 2026 British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) conference found that four in ten brokers considered talent their top concern, ahead of artificial intelligence, emerging risks and regulation.
Insurance Business UK’s Top Insurance Employers research indicates that hybrid working has become an established expectation among insurance professionals.
At specialty insurer LSM, many teams typically attend the office two or three days a week. Recruiters report that experienced insurance professionals may consider changing employers over relatively small differences in attendance requirements, with some preferring two office days rather than three.
National employment data provides further context. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), more than a quarter of working adults in Great Britain followed hybrid arrangements in early 2025, with the proportion having increased since 2022.
Research from King’s College London found that 42% of UK workers would comply with a five-day office mandate, down from 54% in 2022. Nearly six in ten said they would either resign immediately or begin looking for another job. The research covered 2022 to 2024, and attitudes may have changed since then.
Those findings concern full-time office mandates rather than NatWest’s two-day requirement. Nevertheless, the dispute illustrates the resistance employers can face when changing established working arrangements.
For insurers already experiencing recruitment difficulties, attendance requirements remain a consideration in competing for specialist employees.
