Rebellion over returning to workplace as Burnham set for big change to working from house
Barclays faces a staff revolt over plans to force most UK workers into the office three days a week from October 2026, as Unite demands travel-cost payouts and long-commute exemptions
Prime Minister Andy Burnham(Image: Gary Oakley/PA Wire)
Barclays has been hit by a growing staff rebellion after announcing a big crackdown on working from home – with thousands of workers demanding extra cash to cover travel costs and special exemptions for long commutes.
The bank told staff in an internal memo that from October 2026, most UK employees will be expected to work from the office at least three days a week. More senior leaders and managing directors are set to be in four days a week.
That is a jump from the current rule, which generally requires full-time employees to be in two days a week. The move is expected to affect around half of Barclays’ 45,000-strong UK workforce, with operations and technology teams among those most impacted.
Barclays has been hit by a growing staff rebellion(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Now Unite – which represents close to 80% of Barclays’ UK staff – is pushing back hard, with thousands signing a union-backed open letter calling on the bank to halt and reverse the return-to-office mandate. Unite says Barclays is trying to “fix a problem that doesn’t exist”, arguing staff have delivered strong financial results under the existing two-day hybrid model, the Guardian reported.
And the union has drawn up a list of counter-demands aimed at softening the blow for workers facing higher costs and longer days. One key demand is an exemption for employees who live more than 40 minutes or 35 miles away from their designated office, meaning they would not be forced into the extra days.
Staff are also calling for a one-off “time-in-office” payment to help cover the sudden spike in commuting expenses, including travel, parking, and childcare. Unite is also demanding extra flexibility for carers – including limiting office attendance to one day a week for registered carers and offering more leeway during school holiday periods such as summer and Christmas.
Burnham arriving at the Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers match in the Third Round of the Carabao Cup, at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
The row comes as big employers across finance and tech continue rolling back pandemic-era flexibility, with firms arguing that office time boosts collaboration and helps productivity. As a result, Barclays is far from the first major company to face a revolt.
Santander has faced legal action and union disputes over similar rules, while JPMorgan Chase has previously seen internal petitions when bosses pushed staff back into the office, InvestmentNews reported. In the tech world, employee rebellions have also flared up at major firms, with workers using petitions and public pressure – and even “coffee badging”, where employees swipe in, grab a coffee and leave to work from home.
Workplace experts have dubbed the wave of pushback “The Great Resistance”, as workers increasingly fight stricter three-to-five-day office mandates rather than simply quitting – a shift blamed on a tougher jobs market, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research explains.
Office workers above a Barclays Bank Plc bank branch in London(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Barclays standoff is also unfolding against a changing political backdrop – with Andy Burnham’s government promising to make it harder for employers to refuse working-from-home requests, the Daily Star previously reported.
Speaking at the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) in Brighton, Louise Haigh said businesses would need to prove they had “properly” weighed up a worker’s request before rejecting it. “That is what putting power back into the hands of working people looks like,” she said.
The minister added: “Life isn’t always as neat as employers would like it to be. There’s kids to pick up. Parents to look after. Families who rely on us at short notice. And sometimes, a little bit of flexibility can make all the difference.”
Under current regulations, employees have the legal right to request flexible working around hours or location, with employers required to consider requests in a “reasonable manner” and respond within two months.
The Labour MP has described the government’s Employment Rights Act as the biggest uplift in workers’ rights in a generation, with plans including sick pay from day one, restrictions on fire-and-rehire, stronger parental protections and tougher safeguards against unfair dismissal – as well as action on what she called “exploitative” zero-hours contracts.
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