NatWest has announced a policy requiring approximately 13,000 of its UK employees to substantially increase their in-office attendance starting in February 2027. Currently working under a remote-first arrangement with office days limited to two per month, these staff members will transition to a mandatory two-days-per-week office schedule. The change applies to nearly 40,000 total UK employees across the banking group’s operations, which includes the Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Ulster Bank, and Coutts brands.
Unite, the staff union representing affected workers, has voiced strong opposition to the policy shift. The union characterized the decision as particularly damaging for the 13,000 employees currently on minimal office schedules, noting this population includes some of the organization’s lower-paid workers in roles spanning technology, security, data analytics, and human resources. Union leadership raised concerns that the mandate would impose financial hardship on staff already contending with elevated living expenses, while simultaneously dismantling flexible arrangements many employees had structured their lives around following pandemic-era policy expansions.
The union further highlighted impacts on workers with caregiving obligations or disabilities, arguing the inflexible requirement contradicts existing agreements. Union general secretary Sharon Graham stated the decision reflected a disconnect from workforce realities and represented a breach of established working arrangements, calling on the bank to reconsider the proposals.
NatWest defended the policy as promoting team collaboration and knowledge-sharing among colleagues. The bank’s justification aligns with rationales offered by other major financial institutions, including JP Morgan and Revolut, which similarly have restricted remote work citing benefits for junior staff development. Some NatWest employees already maintain higher office attendance requirements, with traders, branch workers, and relationship managers required in-office four days weekly, while communications and analytics staff currently work hybrid schedules involving six office days monthly.
The policy announcement follows a comparable situation at Barclays, which earlier faced workforce resistance to increased in-office requirements and subsequently postponed full implementation of stricter attendance mandates for certain staff categories.
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