The Unite union has criticised a plan by NatWest to reduce the rights of 30,000 employees to work from home.
NatWest says it is moving to a hybrid approach where workers will be required to attend the office at least two days a week from February.
The bank says this remains competitive with the rest of the finance industry, and that exceptions will be made for colleagues who require additional flexibility.
Unite said NatWest’s decision was “out of touch with the realities facing its workforce”, with many employees facing higher travel and childcare costs.
Firms have been gradually drawing people back into the office since working from home became the norm for some office workers during the Covid pandemic.
“There is no automatic right to work from home: it is a contractual benefit and workers need to be flexible.”
Jo Mackie, Employment Partner, Michelmores
Mackie said that hybrid working is largely the norm since Covid, citing a two-days-at-home, three-days-in-office arrangement as an example. If a business believes office attendance is beneficial and has good evidence that it supports workers’ mental health and coherent team working, refusal could result in disciplinary action for failure to follow a reasonable management instruction.
