LONDON (Bywire News) - On Tuesday, NatWest reveleaed that it only expects to welcome back about 13% of its staff to office-based working, as it announced a three-pronged action plan to returning to post-pandemic life.
According to a NatWest spokeswoman, 55% of employees would work under a hybrid model, combining both at home and office working, while 32% of workers would work on a 'remote-first' basis, coming into the office only two days a month.
Chief Executive Alison Rose said to staff in a speech, which was also posted on the bank's website on Tuesday, "For some of you, it will be clear which category your role fits within. For others, it may be less clear – and may depend on other factors."
Rose said the changes will come into action following a consultation with employees' managers and gradually.
The move from NatWest is one of the clearest post-pandemic plans set out by major British banks on how working lives will change for employees. Many other banks plan to adopt the home-working arrangements permanently.
Although NatWest plans for less people to come into their offices, they have no immediate plans to close any of their offices, said the spokeswoman, unlike other British banks.
HSBC said on Friday that in the long term it plans to reduce its office footprint by over 40%.
The spokeswoman for NatWest said that the bank has so far only closed its London Regents House office, while its real estate remains under review.
(Reporting by Lawrence White and Klaudia Fior; Editing by Jan Harvey and David Goodman)