70% of employees at HSBC, a UK home office

Apr 7, 2021 | 12:29 PM

In one of the clearest signs of change the pandemic has brought about, HSBC said around 1,200 employees in Britain will be working from home permanently.

Unite, one of Britain’s largest trade unions, revealed that about 70% of the 1,800 call center employees in England, Wales and Scotland have volunteered never to return to the office.

Although dozens of companies have rapidly promoted hybrid business and reduced office space, HSBC’s decision to establish a portion of employees permanently at home goes far beyond most competitors taking a hybrid approach.

In fact, these changes could lead to long-term social problems if not managed properly, UNITE told Reuters.

A spokesperson for HSBC UK indicated that they are in discussions with their call center colleagues who serve HSBC UK retail clients about ways in which they can provide flexibility in the workplace, while ensuring that the way they operate meets the needs of your customers.

Settings

Unite said HSBC is offering employees £ 300 (about $ 414.75) a year if they work from home, as payment for additional expenses such as higher heating and electricity bills.

Dominic Hook, the union’s national president, said that changes to the contract for the 70% of those who choose a “home office” are finalized with teams, waiting for those who accept that to only go to the HSBC offices to receive them. an exercise.

A quarter of the employees turned down the offer because they wanted to work in the office at least part-time, while 5% of workers preferred to return to the office permanently.

HSBC and other UK banks are beginning to reduce office space, largely because employees work from home

HSBC had already closed a call center in Swansea, South Wales since the pandemic. The remaining two main contact centers are in Leeds, in the north of England, and in Hamilton, Scotland.

Hook said the union was broadly supporting the change because it was voluntary, but he warned other banks not to force employees to stay home if they don’t want to, as well as to ask them to make sure employees don’t feel isolated and receive appropriate support.

HSBC is at the forefront of this. If it is really voluntary and people’s rights are protected, that is okay. “

In this sense, he noted that after a year “business might not look so bad” under the circumstances, but after five years, it might look differently.

With information from Reuters