Stand by your desks: is this the death knell for WFH?

JPMorgan is reputedly planning a major change to its return-to-office policy that could signal a significant shift in the whole employment market.

- JAMES MOORE

The US banking giant – which employs 300,000 people globally, and 22,000 in the UK – is reportedly ready to call time on hybrid working. Reports suggest it will insist all employees are back at their desks for the full week, Monday to Friday.

This move is part of a broader post-pandemic trend, not just among major US banks. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon is similarly keen on having workers at their desks.

Amazon, the online retailer, has transitioned staff from three days a week in the office to five, while advertising giant WPP, with more than 100,000 employees, has informed its workforce that a growing number of clients are moving in the same direction. WPP will require staff to be in the office a minimum of four days a week, up from three, with at least two Fridays a month mandatory.

What started as a trickle is turning into a flood. Just a couple of years ago, there was speculation about the demise of Canary Wharf, with its empty desks. However, with a workplace counterrevolution now underway, those predictions seem premature. Managers prefer to have their employees where they can see them, especially in client-centered businesses, which dominate the City of London.