UK Return to Office Statistics 2026: Insights from 100 Major Employers

A&O ShearmanLawSet office days3Expressed as at least 60% of the working week. A memo to London associates said bonus eligibility would be affected by missing attendance targets. The firm declined to comment.Mar 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026Aberdeen (formerly abrdn)Banking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Told Parliament (June 2026) it runs a hybrid model with an expectation of three office days a week, plus locally agreed flexible arrangements.–Company statementChecked Sept 2026Accenture UK and IrelandProfessional servicesFlexible hybrid–No mandated number of office days in the UK and Ireland; attendance depends on client and project needs.–News reportChecked Sept 2026AmazonTechnologyFull-time office5Andy Jassy memo ended the three-day hybrid model for corporate staff. Rollout was delayed in some cities for lack of desk space.Jan 2025Company statementChecked Sept 2026AppleTechnologySet office days3Tuesdays and Thursdays plus a third day chosen by each team. Rolled out first in Silicon Valley and then to other offices.Sept 2022News reportChecked Sept 2026AsdaRetail and consumerSet office days3Announced November 2024 for more than 5,000 head office staff across Leeds and Leicester.Jan 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026AstraZenecaPharma and life sciencesSet office days3Minimum three days a week from the office for office-based staff. AstraZeneca publishes no policy page.–News reportChecked Sept 2026Atom BankBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–Operates a four-day week rather than an attendance mandate. CEO Mark Mullen has said a rigid hybrid mandate risks staff rebellion.–News reportChecked Sept 2026Auto TraderTechnologySet office days3"Connected Working" requires "a minimum of 3 days a week in the office with your team", offset by designated remote-first periods in summer and winter when staff can work anywhere in the UK.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026AvivaBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days2.5"Smart Working" requires at least 50% of time in the office, and Aviva says it wants everyone in the office every week.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Bank of EnglandRegulators and public bodiesSet office days2At least two days a week on site while based in the UK, plus a policy allowing up to 40 working days a year from abroad.Jul 2023News reportChecked Sept 2026BarclaysBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Rises from two days for around half of 45,000 UK staff. Managing directors and senior leaders expected four days. Unite is seeking a delay and commuting exemptions.Oct 2026News reportChecked Sept 2026BBCMedia and telecomsSet office days2.5Staff are classed as office or "agile" workers. Agile workers average two to three days in the office and the rest at home; office workers are tied to a specific location by their role.–News reportChecked Sept 2026BlackRockBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days4Four days is the general expectation; around 1,000 managing directors worldwide were told in May 2025 to attend five days. Reported via the Financial Times rather than a company statement, and BlackRock declined to comment.Sept 2023News reportChecked Sept 2026BootsRetail and consumerFull-time office5Around 8,000 head office staff in London, Nottingham and Weybridge moved from three days to five. Boots said it was "asking team members to make the office their usual place of work from 1 September".Sept 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026BPEnergy and utilitiesSet office days3"BP work/life" sets an approximate 60:40 workplace-to-home split, typically three days a week in the office.Jun 2021News reportChecked Sept 2026BT GroupMedia and telecomsSet office days3"Three together, two wherever" introduced in 2022 and hardened from guidance into a mandate in December 2024, with passcard data shared with managers. Average attendance at the time was 1.7 days.Oct 2022News reportChecked Sept 2026Cabinet Office (civil service-wide)Public sectorSet office days3Minimum 60% of working time in a government building or on official business, set in November 2023 and reaffirmed by heads of department in October 2024. Senior managers are expected to exceed 60%.Nov 2023Company statementChecked Sept 2026Cancer Research UKCharitySet office days1.5States "Most of our office-based roles only require you to be on-site one or two days a week on average".–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026CapitaOutsourcing and IT servicesFlexible hybrid–No stated minimum. Capita says it aims "to give you choice over how you work" across part-time, compressed hours, job-sharing and locations from field work to home.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026CentricaEnergy and utilitiesFlexible hybrid–"Flexible First" gives staff choice over home or office working rather than setting a minimum. Recruitment material describes flexible time on site with the team each month.–Company statementChecked Sept 2026Citigroup UKBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Jane Fraser has held to three days while rivals moved to five, positioning hybrid as a hiring advantage. Applies to most staff globally including the UK.–News reportChecked Sept 2026Clifford ChanceLawSet office days2.550% of working time in the office, introduced in 2021. From 1 February 2024 the firm began reviewing individual attendance data in London and Newcastle.–News reportChecked Sept 2026DellTechnologyFull-time office5A memo said "all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week", defined as within an hour’s commute. Staff further away keep remote arrangements.Mar 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026Deloitte UKProfessional servicesFlexible hybrid–No firm-wide minimum; Deloitte describes trusting people to decide how they work around client and team needs. A US tax practice was separately told to be in 2 to 3 days a week.–News reportChecked Sept 2026Department for Work and PensionsPublic sectorSet office days3Extended the 60% minimum from senior civil servants to all hybrid-eligible grades from 1 September 2025. PCS opposed the change.Sept 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026Deutsche Bank UKBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Three days for most staff and four for managers from June 2024, plus a ban on working remotely on a Friday and the following Monday. The bank says the guidelines "ensure consistency across the bank".Jun 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026DLA PiperLawSet office days3At least three days a week for all personnel outside the US, up from a previous requirement of at least 50%. US corporate attorneys were separately moved to four days.Nov 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026EY UKProfessional servicesSet office days2Minimum two days a week for around 21,000 UK staff. Turnstile data has been circulated to partners since January 2024 to check compliance.–News reportChecked Sept 2026Financial Conduct AuthorityRegulators and public bodiesSet office days2.5Rises from 40% to a minimum 50% office attendance, with directors on 60%. Sarah Pritchard said a "minimum 50/50 split between time in the office and at home will deliver greater collaboration and innovation". Unite has not ruled out strike action.Sept 2026News reportChecked Sept 2026FreshfieldsLawSet office days3Minimum three days for partners, associates and trainees in London and Manchester, up from working from home up to 50% of the time. Introduced as an interim policy in 2022.Sept 2022News reportChecked Sept 2026Goldman SachsBanking, insurance and fintechFull-time office5Five days has been the stated expectation since May 2022, with periodic reminders to staff who have not complied.May 2022News reportChecked Sept 2026GoogleTechnologySet office days3Three days became enforceable in June 2023, with badge data reviewed and attendance folded into performance reviews. Tightened again in 2025 for staff who live near an office.Apr 2022News reportChecked Sept 2026Greater London AuthorityPublic sectorSet office days2.5Hybrid working guidance expects staff to attend a GLA workplace between two and three days a week on average. Some roles require fixed locations. The GLA does not record staff attendance.–Company statementChecked Sept 2026GSKPharma and life sciencesSet office days2.5An average of two to three office days a week for office-based roles, alongside formal and informal flexible arrangements.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026HaleonPharma and life sciencesFlexible hybrid–"Hybrid at Haleon" splits time between a Haleon workplace and another approved location, with no published number of office days.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Hargreaves LansdownBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Moves around 2,400 staff from no mandatory office days to three, alongside a move into a new Bristol office. The firm says there is still "flexibility".Jan 2027News reportChecked Sept 2026Herbert Smith Freehills KramerLawSet office days3An average of 60% of working time in the office, with the rest anywhere. In place since 2020.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026HM Land RegistryRegulators and public bodiesSet office days3Applies the 60% civil service mandate to around 3,800 staff. PCS members voted to strike, saying "applying arbitrary targets on office attendance doesn’t increase productivity and is unpopular with staff".–News reportChecked Sept 2026HM Revenue and CustomsPublic sectorSet office days3Applies the cross-government 60% expectation to all office-based colleagues. PCS has raised desk-capacity concerns and reported attendance below target.–News reportChecked Sept 2026HSBC UKBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Expressed as 60% office attendance. From September 2025 managers receive monthly attendance data and shortfalls can affect variable pay.Oct 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026IBMTechnologySet office days3Applied globally, subject to local law, for staff living within 50 miles of an office. Extended to Consulting in 2024 and reiterated for other divisions in 2025, with badge data used to check compliance.Sept 2023News reportChecked Sept 2026IKEA UKRetail and consumerSet office days3Raised required on-site days from eight to 12 a month, with the extra four allowed at other IKEA locations. IKEA said "shared spaces strengthen our culture, spark creativity, and empower us to thrive together".Sept 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026ITVMedia and telecomsFlexible hybrid–"Smart Working" is agreed between employee and manager rather than centrally set. Current ITV job adverts specify two or three days depending on the role.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026JD SportsRetail and consumerSet office days4At least four days a week for head office staff worldwide, including the UK HQ in Bury, from July 2024. A flexible approach still applies depending on the role.Jul 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026John Lewis PartnershipRetail and consumerSet office days3Applies to commercial (buying and merchandising) teams; other head office staff remain on hybrid.Jul 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026JP MorganBanking, insurance and fintechFull-time office5Ended hybrid working for all staff. Rollout was staged where offices lacked capacity, including at Canary Wharf.Mar 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026Jupiter Asset ManagementBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Up to two days remote a week, with Tuesday and Thursday as fixed office days. Unchanged since returning to the office in 2021.Jan 2021Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Kirkland & Ellis (London)LawSet office days4Four days in the London office, in line with other US firms in the City.–News reportChecked Sept 2026KPMG UKProfessional servicesFlexible hybrid–Number of office days is set by each member firm and team rather than centrally. The UK firm introduced a "four-day fortnight" model in 2021.–News reportChecked Sept 2026Legal & GeneralBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–Hybrid with no group-wide office minimum; L&G says there is "no one size fits all" and that teams set their own ways of working.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Lidl GBRetail and consumerSet office days3Head office staff moved from a two-day minimum to three. Lidl said it updated the policy "so that colleagues have consistency and clarity". Exact start date given only as earlier in 2025.Jan 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026LinklatersLawSet office days2.5Staff worldwide may work remotely up to 50% of the time, provided they tell their team in advance and operational roles are covered. Announced in 2020 as the first long-term policy of its kind in the City.Sept 2020News reportChecked Sept 2026Lloyds Banking GroupBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days2Expressed as 40% of working time. Attendance became a factor in senior bankers' bonuses from the 2024 performance year.Apr 2023News reportChecked Sept 2026M&GBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3The UK policy states "the vast majority of our colleagues will spend the majority of their working week in a M&G office location", which implies three of five days rather than setting a fixed count. Individual patterns are agreed with managers.Feb 2025Company statementChecked Sept 2026Marks and SpencerRetail and consumerSet office days3The careers site states under "Being an in person business" that support teams are in the office three days a week because skills are developed through collaboration.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026MetaTechnologySet office days3Three days remains the baseline across the family of apps. Instagram separately moved US staff with assigned desks to five days from February 2026.Sept 2023News reportChecked Sept 2026MicrosoftTechnologySet office days3Phased rollout: Puget Sound by end of February 2026, then other US sites, then international offices during 2026. No confirmed UK date yet.Feb 2026Company statementChecked Sept 2026Ministry of JusticePublic sectorSet office days3Live MoJ adverts state all employees are expected to spend a minimum of 60% of working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.–Job advertChecked Sept 2026MonzoBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–No mandated number of office days. Monzo distinguishes distributed workers from office-based staff and says it is a "big fan of flexible working".–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Morgan StanleyBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days4Four-day mandate announced for wealth management staff and advisers, with supervisors expected five days. No separate UK figure has been published.May 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026National GridEnergy and utilitiesFlexible hybrid–Operational and customer-facing roles are site based. Other staff work under a hybrid policy with no published weekly minimum, travelling in to meet colleagues when required.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Nationwide Building SocietyBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days2Expressed as 40% of contracted hours. Replaced the 2021 "work anywhere" policy; agreed with the Nationwide Group Staff Union and enforced from April 2024.Apr 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026NatWest GroupBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–Three role categories rather than a single figure: remote-first (office at least twice a month), hybrid, and office-first. No published group-wide weekly minimum.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Network RailTransport and logisticsFlexible hybrid–The published flexible working policy sets no hybrid attendance requirement at all, handling requests case by case. Notable as a large employer with no mandated office days.Apr 2024Company statementChecked Sept 2026NHS (employers in England)Public sectorFlexible hybrid–Set locally by each NHS organisation. Some set minimums by role or department; none planned a full-time office return (NHS Employers, April 2025).–Company statementChecked Sept 2026NothingTechnologyFull-time office5CEO Carl Pei told around 450 staff that "remote work is not compatible with a high ambition level plus high speed" and that those who could not commit should leave. One of the strictest UK tech policies on record.Oct 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026Novo Nordisk UKPharma and life sciencesFull-time office5A global standard announced after 9,000 job cuts: "a new global standard for office-based employees to work from the office five days per week". Individual agreements can still be negotiated.Jan 2026News reportChecked Sept 2026Ocado GroupRetail and consumerSet office days3Head office staff moved from one day a week to at least three (reported June 2025). The group careers site still says teams spend 40% of their time in offices, so the two conflict.–News reportChecked Sept 2026OfcomRegulators and public bodiesSet office days2An equality impact assessment states "colleagues will be expected to attend an Ofcom office 2 days per week", replacing an inconsistently applied half-the-time expectation, with a transition from April to September and a review in April 2027.Sept 2026Company statementChecked Sept 2026Office for National StatisticsRegulators and public bodiesFlexible hybrid–Individual 40% targets were scrapped in favour of an organisational 40% target and attendance based on "clear, purposeful need", ending a two-year dispute. PCS members backed the deal by 77%. The agency that measures homeworking is now an outlier for relaxing its own rules.Apr 2026News reportChecked Sept 2026Phoenix GroupBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–No fixed number of office days. Phoenix states "We value people over places and we prize performance over hours spent", with the split decided at team level.–News reportChecked Sept 2026PwC UKProfessional servicesSet office days3At least 60% of time in the office or with clients, tracked via badge swipes and shared IP addresses. Covers around 26,000 UK staff and partners.Jan 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026RevolutBanking, insurance and fintechRemote-first–The wider workforce stays remote-first with up to 120 days a year working abroad. From the 2027 cohort, graduates and interns must attend three days a week during the programme, then move onto standard remote-first contracts.–News reportChecked Sept 2026RightmoveTechnologySet office days3Three days in the office and two at home, set out in a 2021 press release as the long-term plan.Jun 2021Company statementChecked Sept 2026SageTechnologySet office days3Three days in an office stated on the careers site and repeated in UK job adverts. Offset by a 10-week "work away" programme.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Sainsbury'sRetail and consumerFlexible hybrid–Hybrid or home working depending on role, under a "Smarter Working" approach. The published policy (Feb 2026) sets no weekly office minimum.–Company statementChecked Sept 2026SalesforceTechnologySet office days3Tiered policy. "Office-flex" roles such as marketing, legal and product are three days; sales, workplace services, data centre engineering and onsite support are four to five. Some engineering roles are 10 days a quarter.Oct 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026Santander UKBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Set as 12 days a month rather than fixed weekly days, announced September 2024 with compliance by year end. Applies to around 10,000 office-based staff, not branch staff. TSB moves to the same three-day policy from April 2027.Dec 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026SchrodersBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–Flexible Working Charter introduced in 2020 leaves the split to the individual. Schroders has publicly declined to introduce a minimum as other City firms tightened.–News reportChecked Sept 2026SkyMedia and telecomsFlexible hybrid–Every advert carries the same line: "We've adopted a hybrid working approach... The hybrid working expectations for this role are X days in the office per week." The number is set per role, commonly two.–Job advertChecked Sept 2026Slaughter and MayLawSet office days3Rolling average of at least three full days a week in the office, at a client or in court, with more expected of trainees and new joiners. Gate data is shared monthly with group heads and HR.–News reportChecked Sept 2026SSEEnergy and utilitiesSet office days2.5Under "Flexible First", office-based staff are generally on site around 50% of the time. Frontline roles flex their working week instead.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026Standard CharteredBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–Publicly holding to flexible working while peers tighten. Chief executive Bill Winters has defended treating staff as adults over mandating office days.–News reportChecked Sept 2026Starling BankBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days2.5At least 10 days a month for hybrid staff under CEO Raman Bhatia, up from ad hoc or one to two days a week. Starling says it formalised an existing encouragement of two to three days. Triggered resignations; the bank has 900 desks for 3,231 staff and told staff it may not accommodate everyone.Nov 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026TescoRetail and consumerSet office days3Up from two days. Applies to corporate staff, either in a contracted office or another location; part-time staff pro rata.Sept 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026THGRetail and consumerFull-time office5Moved from four days plus one optional home day to five, announced alongside 171 job cuts. THG blamed "inconsistent adherence" to the previous policy.Aug 2024News reportChecked Sept 2026TrainlineTechnologySet office days3Adverts state Trainline asks staff "to work from the office a minimum of 60% of their time over a 12-week period", which averages three days.–Job advertChecked Sept 2026Transport for LondonTransport and logisticsFlexible hybrid–The Smart Working Policy encourages flexible working, particularly from home, with location decided between employee and line manager rather than by a central mandate.–News reportChecked Sept 2026TSBBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3Brings around 5,000 TSB staff into line with Santander UK after the April 2026 takeover. TSB had no formal minimum before. The TBU union is preparing employment tribunal claims.Apr 2027News reportChecked Sept 2026UberTechnologySet office days3Raised from two anchor days (Tuesday and Thursday) to three, and limited new remote hires. Applies globally including UK staff.Jun 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026UBSBanking, insurance and fintechSet office days3UBS says its approach is "office-centric with flexibility, and we ask our employees to be in the office at least three days a week", and bans remote working on a consecutive Friday and Monday.Mar 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026Unilever UKRetail and consumerFlexible hybrid–Written evidence to the House of Lords Home-Based Working Committee describes a trust-based policy with maximum flexibility and no traditional office-based hours for around 6,000 UK staff.–Company statementChecked Sept 2026University College LondonHigher educationSet office days2Hybrid workers "should expect to attend campus for 40% of their time or more", with the level approved by a Director or Head of Department.–Company statementChecked Sept 2026University of ManchesterHigher educationSet office days2The Hybrid Working Framework says hybrid roles "typically involve working at least two days a week on campus", with a predominantly campus-based category at 60 to 80%. Arrangements are agreed with managers.Sept 2022Company statementChecked Sept 2026Vodafone UKMedia and telecomsSet office days2.5Two to three times a week, or at least eight days a month, in place since 2021. Enforced from April 2025: continued non-compliance can mean a final written warning and no bonus. Home- and field-based contracts are exempt.Apr 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026WiseBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–No set number of office days; teams set their own guidelines. New joiners are expected in most days for their first six months, and leads regularly.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026WPPMedia and telecomsSet office days4Announced January 2025 for 114,000 staff globally, up from as little as one day for some. Includes attendance on at least two Fridays a month. Prompted a staff petition.Apr 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026Wrexham County Borough CouncilPublic sectorSet office days4Executive Board approved four days in the office and one at home despite a consultation in which 90.7% of eligible staff preferred a different model. UNISON has since raised concerns about office capacity.Sept 2025News reportChecked Sept 2026Zurich UKBanking, insurance and fintechFlexible hybrid–"FlexWork" empowers people to work where, when and how they choose, subject to business and customer commitments. No minimum office attendance is stated.–Careers pageChecked Sept 2026