NatWest will require eligible remote-first staff to work onsite two days weekly from February 2027.
Why it matters: The move would sharply reduce flexibility for thousands of workers and test hybrid-work policy across UK financial services. It could also affect labor relations, recruitment and retention, though the dossier provides no current data on those outcomes.
- The policy is scheduled to begin in February 2027, after being reported on October 20, 2026.
- Nearly 14,000 employees currently classified as remote-first are expected to be affected.
- Those employees currently attend an office or hub about twice per month when close collaboration is needed.
- Unite, which represents about 35,000 NatWest workers in A-to-C grades, has opposed earlier increases in office attendance.
NatWest Group plans to require eligible staff to work from a NatWest office or hub at least two days per week beginning in February 2027, according to BBC reporting.
The change would end the remote-first classification for thousands of employees. The Banker estimates that nearly 14,000 workers are currently covered and attend an office approximately twice per month.
NatWest's published careers framework currently recognizes remote-first, hybrid and office-first models. Its remote-first policy says employees spend most of their time at home and are expected to attend an office or hub at least twice monthly when close collaboration is needed.
Unite is the recognized trade union for NatWest workers across Great Britain, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. The union says it represents approximately 35,000 workers in the group's A-to-C grades, and has previously challenged higher office-attendance requirements, including a 2024 dispute involving the bank's Financial Crime Hub.
In that earlier dispute, Unite said only 6% of surveyed workers believed additional mandatory office days would benefit their wellbeing, finances or family life. NatWest's 2025 annual report identifies Unite as a recognized employee representative.
The broader UK backdrop is a hybrid-work model that remains widespread: the Office for National Statistics said 28% of working adults hybrid-worked between January and March 2025.
By the numbers
- 2 days per week - New minimum office attendance from February 2027
- Nearly 14,000 - Employees expected to lose the remote-first classification
- 28% - Share of Great Britain working adults who hybrid-worked in January-March 2025
Yes, but: The sources do not establish the policy's exact scope across business units, whether contractual changes will be required or whether formal consultation has begun. They also provide no evidence that Unite has authorized or threatened industrial action over this announcement.
What's next: The new attendance requirement is scheduled to take effect in February 2027. The timing and extent of consultation between NatWest and Unite remain unclear.