British banking group NatWest has come under fire from trade union Unite after asking employees to spend at least two days a week working from the office, prompting concerns about
additional commuting expenses, childcare arrangements and the future of flexible working.
The dispute reflects a wider shift among major employers towards greater in-person attendance following the pandemic, as businesses reconsider the balance between remote work and office-based collaboration. However, unions argue that stricter attendance requirements risk placing an additional financial and practical burden on employees.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, strongly criticised the bank’s decision, arguing that workers were already struggling with the rising cost of living and years of pay increases that had failed to keep pace with inflation.
“This is 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,” Graham said.
NatWest adopted a flexible working framework in 2021 that divided employees into three categories, depending on their roles and working arrangements. Around 55% of staff were assigned to a hybrid model combining office and home working, while 32% operated under a remote-first arrangement requiring them to attend the office at least twice a month. The remaining employees followed an office-first model.
The new approach represents a shift towards more regular physical attendance for affected workers, although the bank has not abandoned flexible working altogether.
A NatWest Group spokesperson said the company continued to recognise the importance of flexibility but believed that spending time together in person could benefit both employees and customers.
“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 spokesperson said.
The bank added that employees would be given time to prepare for the change and would receive support during the transition.
Unite has also challenged the move on contractual and consultation grounds. The union argues that the revised attendance requirements conflict with provisions in NatWest’s 2025 pay agreement, which included a jointly negotiated framework governing consultations between management, employees and union representatives over future changes to office attendance.
Caren Evans, Unite’s national officer for finance, said homeworking was an essential arrangement for many employees rather than an optional workplace benefit. She highlighted its importance for people with caring responsibilities and those managing health conditions, adding that existing arrangements had proved effective over several years.
The dispute comes amid a broader corporate reassessment of post-pandemic working practices. Several international businesses, including Airbus, Stellantis, Amazon and Microsoft, have moved to tighten remote-working arrangements or increase expectations for employees to return to their workplaces.
For NatWest, the challenge will be to implement its revised policy while addressing concerns over employee welfare, contractual commitments and the practical consequences of more frequent commuting. For Unite, the priority is to ensure that established flexible-working arrangements are not changed without proper consultation and consideration of workers’ circumstances. Photo by Emily Alexandra, Wikimedia commons.
