Work

Employees at UK Finance given option of flexible work on permanent basis

Office life unlikely to return to pre-pandemic norms even as some banks push to have more staffers back

UK Finance will keep its office in the city of London. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Mon Mar 22 2021 - 09:45

Lobby group UK Finance has told employees that they will be allowed to have a flexible working model on a permanent basis.

Roughly 200 staff will be given a choice on what days they would like to come in and will only be required to travel to the City of London for certain meetings, it’s understood. The decision won’t impact the size of its office, which is located in the heart of the City.

The Square Mile has stood largely empty for a year as banks and other finance firms transitioned to remote working. The decision is the latest indication that office life won’t return to pre-pandemic norms even as some banks push to have more staffers back.

Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has said he expects his largely homebound bankers to return to their offices this year, mirroring calls from Goldman Sachs s David Solomon for a return to the workplace. Others are embracing the prospect of hybrid work. With the end of UK lockdowns in sight, Deutsche Bank is now considering letting British staff work from home from one to three days a week.

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Standard Life Aberdeen expects workers will spend a similar amount of time at home and is reshaping offices to meet such demands, the fund manager said this month. The Telegraph reported the move earlier. - Bloomberg

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