Major Dutch banks are implementing new policies to increase the frequency of staff returning to the office, reversing years of promoting remote work. This shift is reportedly causing dissatisfaction among employees, who are concerned about overcrowded offices and potential violations of their collective labor agreements.

ING has proposed a new rule requiring staff to be in the office at least two days a week, with one of those days being Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. The proposal has been submitted to the works council for advice. ABN Amro managers have also informed team members that they must now be in the office at least two days a week.

Employees at both banks are reporting shortages of parking spaces, meeting rooms, and quiet work areas, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Unions FNV and De Unie have stated that they have received similar complaints from their members.

Currently, many ING staff work from the office no more than once a week, but the bank now aims for 100% of employees to meet the two-day target. An ING spokesman stated that the physical presence of staff improves collaboration, strengthens connection with the company, stimulates creativity, and helps new employees settle in.

ABN Amro recruited many new staff during the coronavirus pandemic with promises of flexible working. Its recruitment site still states that employees can largely choose “where and when you open your laptop.” Unions argue that forcing office attendance breaches the bank’s CAO (Collective Labour Agreement).

While Rabobank is not mandating more office time, it is trying to distribute attendance more evenly throughout the week, offering free Friday lunches at its main offices in Rotterdam and Utrecht as an experiment.

Last August, data company Wolters Kluwer announced that staff must come to the office for a minimum number of days a week from September to “improve the balance” between “flexibility for the worker” and “collaboration and strength in innovation”. Just Eat Takeaway and law firms Stibbe and Houthoff also introduced compulsory office hours last year, while insurance groups ASR and NN said they recommend staff come to the office two days a week.