Workers at one of Britain’s biggest banks have been told their bonuses could be cut if they fail to turn up at the office.
HSBC said if they fail to come in for the required three days a week, they could end up being paid less.
It is the latest example of the battle by bosses to reverse the working-from-home trend that started during the pandemic.
HSBC emailed staff at its Birmingham-based business, which employs 23,000 people across offices and branches, on how its ‘hybrid’ policy would be enforced.
The bank has had the rule, which requires staff to be in the office or with customers for at least 60 per cent of the time, in force for around 18 months.
Its email informed employees that internal attendance data would be used when making decisions on their pay, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the move.
HSBC declined to comment. In January, it emerged that rival Lloyds would review office attendance as part of performance-related bonus targets for senior bankers.
But, in the case of Lloyds – which previously faced a backlash when it told staff they must come in for at least two days a week – the rule applies only to a small number of senior staff. At HSBC, the latest memo applied to a broader sweep of office-based staff.
It came as a separate study yesterday showed workers are increasingly likely to resist orders to return to the office.
Researchers at King’s College London found only 42 per cent would comply with a mandate to be at their desks five days a week, down from 54 per cent three years ago. And it revealed that 50 per cent would look for a new job which allowed some home working if their employer tried to make them come in full-time, up from 40 per cent in 2022.
Many formerly office-based staff who were forced to decamp to the kitchen table during Covid lockdowns grew used to avoiding the daily commute and in some cases moved into bigger homes away from their city centre offices.
But five years on from the pandemic, bosses, as well as some politicians, have become frustrated that a return to the normality of a nine-to-five five-day working week has yet to return.
Many fear working from home can be less productive and limit career opportunities, especially for younger members of staff.