Thousands of Barclays staff call for back-to-office rule reversal

Thousands of Barclays staff are demanding concessions from the bank after it said it wants employees to work from the office more often.

Staff who have been expected to work in the office for two days per week should be in the office for at least three days a week from next month, according to the bank.

Unite, which represents about 36,000 Barclays staff, is calling for the bank to reverse its decision. The union is also pressing for exemptions and a one-off payment for employees to offset increased travel and childcare costs.

Barclays said many employees already work in the office for three or more days, depending on business need.

The bank sent a memo to staff in July outlining its expectations, which include that senior leaders work at least four days per week in the office.

As first reported in the Financial Times , external , the bank is facing a growing backlash against the proposed rules change.

Unite national officer Rick Coyle said thousands of employees have signed an open letter calling for Barclays to reverse the decision, and the number of signatories "continues to rise".

He added that Barclays is "trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist" in making its working-from-home rules less flexible.