Thousands of Barclays staff revolt over return-to-office mandate
Thousands of Barclays employees have signed an open letter protesting the bank's new mandate requiring staff to return to the office three days a week starting in October. The Unite union, which represents nearly 80% of the bank's UK workforce, is demanding travel cost reimbursements and exemptions for employees living more than 40 minutes from their workplace. Barclays maintains that the policy is necessary to foster collaboration and leadership visibility, noting that senior leaders will be required to attend the office four days a week.
- ▪Unite, representing nearly 80% of Barclays' 45,000 UK staff, is leading the pushback against the new return-to-office plans.
- ▪The proposed policy requires full-time staff to be in the office at least three days a week, with senior employees expected to attend four days a week.
- ▪Union representatives are calling for financial support for travel costs and exemptions for employees with commutes exceeding 40 minutes.
- ▪Barclays stated that the minimum in-office requirements vary by business area to balance flexibility with the need for physical collaboration.
- ▪The move aligns with similar policies adopted by other major banks like JP Morgan to tighten work-from-home restrictions post-pandemic.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/17/barclays-staff-return-to-office-travel-working-from-home |
| Publication time | Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:31:36 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-17T09:43:43.890Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-17T09:43:43.890Z |
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Unite represents nearly 80% of Barclays’ 45,000 staff. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/ReutersView image in fullscreenUnite represents nearly 80% of Barclays’ 45,000 staff. Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/ReutersBarclaysThousands of Barclays staff revolt over return-to-office mandateUnion calls for payouts to help cover travel costs and exemption for those living more than 40 minutes away Business live – latest updates Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondentThu 17 Sep 2026 05.31 EDTLast modified on Thu 17 Sep 2026 05.32 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleBarclays is facing a growing backlash over return-to-office plans, with thousands of staff calling for payouts to help cover travel costs and an exemption for those living more than 40 minutes from work.Unionised staff represented by Unite…
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