Starling Bank employees quit due to office work demands

Starling Bank employees have resigned after the chief executive demanded that they spend more office time.

Raman Bhatia’s new policy, which was introduced in March, requires hybrid workers to attend work at least 10 times per month.

The Guardian reports that employees are unhappy with the impact the change will have on the work-life balance.

Only 900 of the 3,231 employees, who are mainly in the UK have desks at this online-only British bank. The London office has 320 desks, while Cardiff and Southampton have 260, 155, and 160 respectively.

The bank admitted that the move might not be feasible in an email sent to its HR team, which was seen by the Guardian.

We are aware that we may not have enough space in certain office locations to accommodate everyone’s 10 working days per week. It read: “We are looking at ways to create more space.”

Return to office is a mandate that has been adopted by the bank, following the lead of a growing number of employers who are attempting to return staff to their workplaces after the pandemic caused heightened homeworking.

Goldman Sachs, one of the biggest businesses, ordered staff to return to work five days a weeks in 2023. Amazon will do the same starting January 2025.

Starling Bank’s spokesperson stated: “Starling formalised an old practice where colleagues were encouraged to spend two or three days per week in their local offices. Our goal is to increase collaboration by bringing our colleagues together face-to-face as we enter Starling’s next phase.

According to the spokesperson, this move allows managers to provide additional support for colleagues who have flexible or fully remote arrangements already in place.

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