RBS and NatWest staff set for hybrid working model
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Alison Rose
Royal Bank of Scotland owner NatWest has outlined plans that will see just 13% of its workforce return to the office for most of their work, with almost a third working mainly from home.
Under the plans, the majority, 55%, will utilise a hybrid working model, mixing home and the office.
The start date for the hybrid working model has yet to be decided.
Alison Rose, the chief executive, said that the plans would “provide the right balance of flexibility, accountability, collaboration and customer service”.
Determining who fits into each category will be partly down to individuals’ preference and what their roles are.
Ms Rose told staff in a speech posted on the bank’s website: “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.
“Some roles, and some people, will need to be back in the office 100 per cent of the time — that’s just the nature of the role; they cannot be done from home. Other people will be able to work remotely the majority of the time… and for others there will be a hybrid solution.”
Ms Rose added that the changes will take place after consultation with employees’ managers and in a phased manner. The changes also depend on government guidance regarding office working.
The breakdown is expected to be 13% mainly in the office, 32% mainly at home with a minimum of two days a month in the office, and 55% mixing the two, The Times reports.
NatWest is the latest UK firm to announce plans for a hybrid working model. Last month, KPMG announced a ‘four-day fortnight’ flexible working model for its 16,000 UK staff, while in April, PwC announced a new flexible working deal for its 22,000 employees. Similarly, HSBC UK and JP Morgan previously announced that thousands of their employees will work from home permanently.
Last month, accountancy firm BDO told its staff to decide for themselves when to come back to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic while EY staff will be allowed to work from home for at least two days per week after all coronavirus restrictions are eased.
A spokeswoman said that despite the shift to more remote working NatWest has no immediate plans to close more offices.
NatWest has so far closed its Regents House office in London and is keeping its property under review. Ms Rose added that the bank has spent the past year converting its offices to suit the new working patterns, with more space for collaboration and drop-in workers.
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