Barclays among City companies telling staff to work from home again
Barclays has told hundreds of its bankers to log in from their living rooms again after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said office staff across the country should work from home if they can.
Most of Barclays’ office-based staff had continued to work from home in recent weeks but hundreds of workers who had returned to the office will be among those working from home once again under new restrictions that could last for six months.
Other employers are expected to take similar action after the Government’s reversal of its previous push to get people back to work in the face of the rising coronavirus infection rate.
Lloyd's of London, the insurance marketplace, has advised workers to return to home-working, according to reports, even though its famous underwriting room remains open.
Bronek Masojada, chief executive of FTSE 250 insurer Hiscox, said: "We will probably shrink the number of floors available to two or three floors rather than all eight or nine of them and continue to make those available to those who are unable to work from home and can safely travel into work."
Deciding whether someone is able to work from home should be based not only on whether they have broadband and other facilities but on their mental health, he added.
"We won't be encouraging people to come in but we’ll be saying it's available if that’s what you need to do," Mr Masojada said.
Like most City firms, only a fraction of the insurer's employees had returned at any one time since its offices reopened over the summer.
Firms were still awaiting formal guidance on Tuesday evening but most offices are expected to remain open for employees whose attendance is critical or who are not able to operate from home.
Tim Jones, chief operating officer of consultant KPMG, said: "We expect a large proportion of colleagues to continue to work from home for the remainder of the year but our offices will remain open for those who have a business critical or wellbeing need to come in."
Roger Barker, director of policy at the Institute of Directors, said the Government's "back and forth on offices will cause frustration".
Richard Burge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "Many London businesses remain unclear as to why their Covid-secure workplace is now considered to be less safe or why allowing flexible commuting on a network that currently has space is an increased risk."
Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, said: "Businesses have bent over backwards to make their workplaces Covid-secure and are ready to welcome staff back as soon as allowed."
Barclays declined to comment.
