NatWest staff office days increase: 13,000 must go in twice a week
Representative image: StockSnap / Pixabay
NatWest will require about 13,000 remote-first staff to work in the office two days a week from February 2027; Unite says it raises childcare and travel costs.
What Happened
NatWest, one of Britain's largest banks, has told about 13,000 staff who now go into the office only around two days a month that they must attend at least two days a week from February 2027. The change, reported on October 20, 2026, ends the bank's "remote-first" working category. The union Unite has attacked the plan, saying it breaks commitments made in a 2025 pay deal and will raise travel and childcare costs for workers, many of them on lower pay.
Key Facts
- Employer: NatWest Group, the UK bank.
- Change: staff in the "remote-first" category, who attend about twice a month, must come in at least two days a week.
- Start date: February 2027.
- Numbers: reports put the remote-first group at about 13,000 to 13,500 people; Unite puts it at 13,497, and says 17,272 hybrid workers will also see higher attendance.
- Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, called the move "yet another kick in the teeth for workers who have suffered years of real-terms pay cuts".
- Unite says the affected staff include many lower-paid workers in technology, security, data analytics and HR roles.
- NatWest says it wants a more consistent approach across the bank to help teams work together, with the exact requirement depending on the role and business area, and that it will support staff through the change.
Why It Matters
For many working mothers, fathers and carers, the number of office days a week is not a small detail. Working mostly from home lets a parent do the school run, be at home when children return, or care for a sick relative without taking leave. Moving from two days a month to two days a week means about eight office days a month instead of two. For each extra day, a worker may need to pay for travel, arrange extra childcare, and lose time to commuting.
Unite's objection centres on exactly these points. The union says thousands of employees will face higher travel and childcare costs and that the change undermines flexible arrangements for people with caring responsibilities or disabilities. It has also said staff had asked for extra pay to cover commuting costs and for exemptions for people whose journey to work is longer than 40 minutes. The union says that under the 2025 pay deal, the bank agreed to a joint framework for consulting staff and unions before changing attendance rules, and that this commitment has been broken.
NatWest's side is that a single, clearer rule across the bank will help teams work together. It points out that requirements will vary by role, and some groups, such as traders, branch staff and relationship managers, are already expected in the office four days a week. The bank also says it is giving staff time to plan ahead before the February 2027 start.
The dispute is part of a wider debate about office attendance that working women and men in many countries, India included, will recognise. The questions are the same everywhere: does time together in an office improve teamwork and training enough to justify the cost and stress for staff, and how should employers treat workers whose lives were built around remote work?
Impact
Short-term: Affected staff have about three months' notice before the new rule starts to rearrange childcare, care duties and travel. Unite is likely to press the bank to reopen consultation under the 2025 pay deal.
Long-term: If the change goes ahead, some workers who depend on remote work, particularly carers and people with long commutes, may ask for individual exceptions, reduce their hours or leave. Other UK employers may watch the outcome as they set their own rules.
Who is affected: about 13,000 remote-first NatWest staff and a larger group of hybrid workers; their families, especially those with young children or relatives who need care; Unite and other unions; and employers deciding how many office days to ask for.
Key Takeaway
NatWest will require about 13,000 remote-first staff to work from the office two days a week from February 2027, and Unite says the change will raise childcare and travel costs for workers.
Questions and Answers
What is the NatWest change to office days?
Staff in NatWest's remote-first category, who now go to the office about two days a month, will have to attend at least two days a week from February 2027.
How many NatWest staff are affected by the office days increase?
Reports put the remote-first group at about 13,000 to 13,500 people. Unite says 13,497 staff are in that group and that 17,272 hybrid workers will also face higher attendance.
Why does Unite oppose the NatWest office days increase?
Unite says the change breaks commitments in a 2025 pay deal to consult before changing attendance rules, and that it will raise travel and childcare costs, hurting carers, disabled staff and lower-paid workers.
What does NatWest say about the change?
The bank says it wants a consistent approach that helps teams work together, that requirements depend on each role and business area, and that it is giving staff time to plan and will support them through the change.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
