Latest news with #hybridworking
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘I am disappointed in myself for believing we were more than just a number': AIB staff angered by cut to hybrid working
A decision by AIB to cut hybrid working has been met by frustration and disappointment by some staff at the bank, internal company communications show. The bank informed more than 10,000 employees on Tuesday that staff eligible for hybrid working will be required to work from the office 'a minimum of three days each week' on a phased basis, the tightest rule among Irish retail banks. The company said it believes the new arrangements 'strike the right balance' between flexibility for staff and 'delivering invaluable opportunities and benefits of collaboration and deeper engagement' between colleagues. More than 250 staff members have expressed disappointment and frustration with the decision on an internal company forum seen by The Irish Times. [ AIB calls eligible staff into office three days a week Opens in new window ] 'I am disappointed in myself for believing we were more just a number,' one AIB employee said in response to a company question and answer post on the forum, in which AIB notes that 'deliberate non-compliance with the new policy will not be accepted'. Another staff member labelled the decision a 'really disappointing move'. It 'completely disregards the struggles working families already face with limited childcare and creche spaces available,' the person said. AIB 'A solution to a problem that didn't exist,' another person responded, saying the policy was 'forcing staff to be less productive, less motivated, and more stressed. Bravo.' Some responses criticised the company for the manner in which the decision was communicated. One staff member called it 'an example of very poor communication', calling for 'something this serious that affects staff lives' to have been delivered in-person or over a video call. [ Remote working is here to stay and has whole new language about 'hidden hybrid' and 'mouse jiggling' Opens in new window ] Another AIB employee said the company's Q&A posted to the forum, in addition to the staff email, 'reads like a lecturer to a student with a bamboo stick out... disgusting terminology.' 'There is ZERO thought for your employees here – we will be told where and when we are working and we will be 'MONITORED' for 'NON COMPLIANCE''. 'Who exactly do you think you are talking to after the loyalty shown and the HUGE hours far and beyond our working weeks with no overtime to keep the show on the road during Covid while the Bank raced to make bumper profits and coming back to private ownership?' AIB The new policy, according to the company Q&A post, will not allow in-person days be decided for individuals, with requirements being detailed on a team-by-team basis. A number of staff voiced concerns with this element of the policy. [ Office attendance is becoming a performance metric Opens in new window ] 'You state 'We'll be as flexible and understanding as we can',' an employee said, before pointing a number of restrictions on the flexibility of the policy, 'So what is this flexibility you speak of, can you give more detail please.' AIB Many employees questioned how the new limitations to hybrid working fit with the company's green ethos. 'As part of the Green Agenda, AIB wants to put more cars on the road commuting to their base location, locations already with limited on-site parking.' The employee said the bank had seen five 'hugely successful' years of hybrid working, which was used as a selling point to new staff, and that the reward for that performance was 'making staff come into the office an extra day for no logical reason other than they might bump into someone they know.' Some employees pointed to logistical and financial challenges that the new policy will pose for them. One employee, based in Cork, said the policy will require him to make a '520km round trip' to attend work and will make life harder for people to manage work and family responsibilities 'especially when remote work has already proven effective'. Links to sign up to the Financial Services Union (FSU) were posted in the channel a number of times. In a statement to The Irish Times, the FSU encouraged AIB to 'consider how they can promote sustainability while at the same time putting 10,000 staff back in cars.' The FSU said it will be holding 'a number of members meetings over the next few days' and expects to meet management following that consultation to 'strongly advocate for a reversal of this decision'. It said a survey of almost 3,000 AIB employees conducted in the past 48 hours showed 'real dissatisfaction' at the 'unilateral decision'. Responding to questions from The Irish Times, a spokesman for AIB said 'all employees benefit from in person time with their own team and broader colleagues' and that AIB 'recognise[s] the benefits of structured, hybrid working and are committed to enabling it.' The spokesman said AIB has a 'balanced and comprehensive hybrid working structure in place' and would continue to review the policy.
Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
AIB calls hybrid-eligible staff into office three days a week
AIB has moved to require staff eligible for hybrid working to return to its branches and offices three days a week on a phased basis, introducing the tightest rules among Irish retail banks. The new regime will take full effect from the start of 2026, a spokesman said. AIB had more than 10,400 employees at the end of last year. The group commenced a hybrid working model in early 2022, where the number of office days depend on the role. AIB, led by chief executive Colin Hunt, said earlier this year that hybrid-eligible employees were expected to be in the office for at least two days a week, though some, such as branch staff, have had to be in the workplace five days a week. READ MORE The Financial Services Union (FSU) has criticised the decision. 'The FSU are conscious not all employees in AIB can avail of remote working but for those who can this is a backward step for a bank that consistently attempts to pride itself on being a family friendly employer,' the union's general secretary John O'Connell. 'The bank have given no rationale for this change. There is no justification for this change and the decision should be revisited with any possible change fully reflective of the views of staff.' This announcement comes shortly after AIB main competitor Bank of Ireland mandated its workforce to return to the office a minimum of eight days a month. AIB's plan is in line with an emerging practice in the UK. Barclays ordered staff back into the office for a minimum of three day a week earlier this year. HSBC is also reported to be considering doing the same. However, it stops short of the approach adopted by Wall Street banks, including JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, which have demanded that all staff go to the office five days a week. The AIB spokesman said that the group believes that all staff benefit from spending time working with their colleagues. 'This enables greater collaboration, connection and innovation that supports our customers, the economy and communities in achieving future success,' he said. 'We also recognise the benefits of structured, hybrid working and are committed to enabling it. The extent to which work can be completed in-office or remotely varies depending on the needs of our customers and our business.' PTSB, the smallest of the three domestic banks, previously said that most of its staff are in the office for a minimum of two days a week, though arrangements are set by individual teams.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Northants Reform council wants staff in office two days a week
A Reform UK council has said it will refurbish several of its buildings so most of the authority's staff can work in an office at least two days a Northamptonshire Council said a "new hybrid working model" for employees is set to be offices in Haylock House in Kettering would undergo a major refurbishment and other buildings would be worked on as part of the leader Martin Griffiths said the authority would still use hybrid working but "also building team culture through staff working together in offices". The authority said it would "transform workspaces... to bring teams together and support the development of its 'One Council' culture across the organisation".It said work to improve the council's Bowling Green Road, Kettering and Corby Cube offices would take place in the requirement for staff to be in the office at least two days a week would be "averaged over a period of time"."Due to space constraints, it will not be possible for all staff to be in the office at the same time," it Griffiths, who become leader after Reform UK took control after the May elections, said there has been "positive conversations... about the introduction of a more formal hybrid working model".Previously the council, under the Conservatives, said there should be "a mixture of home working, where appropriate, with time spent at office locations" without a target of how many days staff should be in the previous administration also said it would look at other uses for Haylock House which will now be refurbished. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More than a third of UK workers worried after back to office mandates
A fear of back to office mandates are affecting UK staff wellbeing, a poll has found. The Guardian newspaper reports more than a third of employees surveyed say tales about firms hardening stance have had an impact. 28 per cent of workers surveyed said back to office orders had negatively affected their wellbeing. 84 per cent of employees who work in a hybrid way said it had a positive effect on their overall wellbeing. The survey was of 3,600 UK employers and employees across a range of industries by the recruitment company Hays. Hannah Pearsall, the head of wellbeing at Hays, said: 'The popularity of hybrid working shows no signs of wavering any time soon and the role this flexible working pattern plays in improving wellbeing should not be overlooked. READ MORE: Drivers banned from washing cars as four water firms in England declare hosepipe ban READ MORE: Birmingham's beer scene suffers major blow as five bars shut down READ MORE State pensioners born before 1959 warned over 'overhaul' which could be 'bold' "A lack of awareness around the impact of RTO [return to office] on wellbeing, particularly financial wellbeing, could be catastrophic for the sustained success of their business.' It comes weeks after the former boss of Asda has said the WFH culture has created a generation of people who are "not doing proper work". Lord Rose of Monewden, 75, added he the new way of working is contributing to the economy's decline. The entrepreneur, who served as chairman of Asda from 2021 until last November, believes people are less productive at home than they are in offices. The Conservative peer who was knighted for services to the retail industry said: "We have regressed in this country in terms of working practices, productivity and in terms of the country's wellbeing, I think, by 20 years in the last four. "We are creating a whole generation and probably a generation beyond that of people who are used to actually not doing what I call proper work." Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), from December last year revealed that 26 per cent of people had been hybrid working in the previous week, while 13 per cent had been fully remote. Four in ten people said they had been in the office full time the previous week, while the remaining fifth were not working at the time.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
More strikes in University of Liverpool hybrid working dispute
Hundreds of university staff are to stage more strikes in their dispute over hybrid-working than 340 professional services staff, including those involved in graduation ceremonies and the confirmation of places and clearing for September's intake of new students, will go on strike on 14 August and from 16 to 19 September, when the university is due to welcome new and returning of the Unite trade union have also agreed to ban overtime, a move which it said would "impact" graduation ceremonies this a previous statement, the university said it offered "progressive employment" to give colleagues "flexibility and choice" and support work-life balance. 'Further disruptions' The dispute began after the union claimed management had "imposed" changes to hybrid-working now want staff to increase their proportion of on-campus working time from 40% to 60%.Unite regional officer Sam Marshall said: "Further disruptions are entirely of Liverpool University's own making. "We urge Liverpool University's management to maintain the status quo and work with Unite to find a solution that is flexible and fit for purpose."We intend to keep standing up for our members until this happens."In June, the university said: "Many staff already spend all or most of their working time on campus and the change to at least 60% for those who work part of their time from home is intended to strike the right balance as a face-to-face higher education provider."Unite members in professional services walked out on two days last month during open days and also held a rally on 20 June. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
