NatWest tells 30,000 staff to spend more time in the office; Unite calls it a "kick in the teeth"
According to Finextra, UK banking giant NatWest has told tens of thousands of employees, reportedly around 30,000, to spend more time in the office. The union Unite has described the move as a "kick in the teeth". The report gives no further detail on the new requirements or the bank's reasons.
What this means
The change, as reported, affects how often a large share of NatWest's workforce is expected to be at the office rather than working remotely. Staff who have built routines around flexible working are the most directly affected, and the union's sharp language suggests the decision has not gone down quietly. For Indian bankers, the thing to watch is whether large lenders elsewhere follow a similar return-to-office push, and how staff and unions respond when they do.
Most affected: Bank employees and HR teams
Key takeaway: Watch whether other large banks tighten office-attendance rules, and how staff and unions react, before revising your own hybrid-work policies.
Get stories like this in your inbox every morning
Free daily brief — rates, RBI updates and the banking stories that matter, in 3 minutes.
More in this briefing
- Brent swings as Iran steps up tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, NDTV Profit reports
- RBA deputy Andrew Hauser warns of 'hard choices' as markets weigh a hike to 4.85%
- Starling deploys AI 'financial crime investigator' it says completes a full investigation in 17 seconds
- Mastercard shows Agent Pay for Machines, letting AI agents pay for digital services, at Cloudflare Connect
- Hyperlayer, founded by ex-Morgan Stanley executives, raises £19.5 million at a £195 million valuation