Bank of England employees will resume their duties one day per week Business News

The Bank of England will require its employees to return to the office one day a week from September.

Most of the Bank’s employees have been working from home since the first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, with just 5% in the office, as their roles demanded it.

Government recommendations to work from home, if possible, will be lifted on July 19 along with the rest of the coronavirus lockdown rules in England.

But the bank has found that most of its employees want to be able to continue to connect remotely at least twice a week, having become accustomed to the benefits of the system.

Its COO, Joanna Place, said in a speech to the Investment Association: “The challenge – albeit a daunting one – is to learn from the many successes we have had over the past year and use them as a springboard to build flexible and flexible organizations.

“Our staff deserve it and demand it. For example, a recent survey of Bank staff showed that the majority expect to work from home at least two days a week.

“With that in mind, the Governors and I have established a set of test guidelines – and which we position as a pilot – that encourage more flexible working and require our colleagues to come back to the office at least once a week. for team days. ‘. “

Bosses will encourage their staff to organize collaborative work days where they are physically present, Place said.

She added: “We anticipate that the number of employees in our buildings will increase over time and that – according to a recent study on personal preferences of Bank staff – staff will spend an average of three or four days in the office and about a day or two from my place.

“My personal view is that the appeal of the office could be a bit more important than expected. “

The Bank will structure its future flexible work plan after extensive consultation with its workers, including surveys, interviews and focus groups.

Last month, audit firm Deloitte said its 20,000 staff could work from home all the time because “we can trust our employees to make the right choices when, how and where they work.”

Around the same time, Labor urged the government to make working from home a right. Angela Rayner, deputy party leader, said the move would help people improve their work-life balance by spending less time traveling and more with their families.