HSBC mandates four days in-office for senior staff

HSBC Holdings plc has announced that all managing directors will be required to work from the office for at least four days a week starting in October 2025, as reported by Bloomberg. 

HSBC Holdings plc, founded in 1865 and based in London, is a leading multinational bank offering retail, commercial, wealth, and private banking services worldwide and raising capital as a public limited company.

The UK bank’s senior managers were reportedly instructed to lead by example by increasing their in-office presence, reinforcing the importance of face-to-face interactions for effective leadership and customer engagement. 

In-office work is defined to include activities within the bank’s offices, interactions with customers, visits to other stakeholders, and attendance at conferences, offsites, or equivalent events, according to the bank.

The move aligns the UK bank with other financial firms that are increasingly encouraging employees to spend more time on-site. 

Return-to-Office Push Creates Desk Shortages for UK Banks

HSBC is preparing to move into a new London headquarters in 2026, but UK executives are facing a projected shortfall of 7,700 desks for staff, exceeding initial expectations. 

The shortage highlights the logistical challenges banks encounter as they seek to increase in-person collaboration while managing limited office capacity.

Banks Worldwide Tighten Return-to-Office Rules

The push for more office attendance comes five years after the global pandemic led to widespread remote work, which transformed how banks operate. 

In January 2025, JPMorgan Chase instructed all staff to return to the office five days a week, while Goldman Sachs has upheld the same strict policy since June 2021. 

Other institutions have adopted more moderate approaches: Citibank requires employees to work in-office at least three days a week, while also offering two weeks of remote work in August 2025. 

Bank of America enforces a full five-day office schedule for client-facing staff, while requiring a three-day minimum for others.

This steady reduction in remote work shows a wider effort across the industry to return to pre-pandemic office culture.

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