Barclays faces staff revolt over tightened return-to-office rules
Union demands compensation and exemptions
Unite, which represents nearly 80 percent of Barclays’ 45,000 UK staff, is organizing the opposition and encouraging employees to sign an open letter sent to the bank’s leadership and circulated across its UK offices.
The union is calling for the plans to be halted entirely and has set out three concrete demands: a one-off “time-in-office payment” to all affected staff before March 2027; an exemption from the new requirements for any employee whose commute exceeds 40 minutes or 35 miles each way; and greater scheduling flexibility for staff with caring responsibilities or those wishing to travel during off-peak hours.
Rick Coyle, a national officer at Unite, said the policy ran counter to the direction of travel elsewhere in the sector. “One of the issues that has caused consternation is that most employers in banking and financial services are generally embracing greater flexibility,” he said. “Our members think that Barclays is trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.”
Coyle added that opposition was continuing to grow. “Thousands of employees have signed the letter and the figure continues to rise. Unite will be speaking to Barclays about the strength of feeling in the days ahead.”
The union also accused the bank of failing to provide an “evidence-based rationale” for the change, saying its proposals would create “substantial challenges for many employees.”
