Major Dutch banks ING and ABN Amro are implementing new policies requiring employees to work from the office at least two days per week, leading to employee dissatisfaction and union concerns.

The shift marks a reversal from previous remote work arrangements and is generating complaints about overcrowded offices and potential breaches of collective labor agreements.

ING’s proposed policy mandates a minimum of two days in the office, including one day on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, and has been submitted to the works council for review. ABN Amro managers have also informed their teams of the new two-day minimum requirement.

Employees at both banks are reporting shortages of parking, meeting rooms, and quiet workspaces, particularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Unions FNV and De Unie have confirmed receiving similar complaints from their members.

ING aims for full compliance with the two-day target, a change for many employees who currently work from the office only once a week.

An ING spokesperson stated that the physical presence of staff improves collaboration, strengthens connection with the company, stimulates creativity, and helps new employees to settle in.

ABN Amro, which recruited many new employees during the pandemic with promises of flexible working arrangements, now faces union claims that the mandated office attendance breaches the bank’s collective labor agreement (CAO). Their recruitment website still claims that employees can largely decide “where and when you open your laptop.”

In contrast, Rabobank is incentivizing office attendance by offering complimentary Friday lunches at its main offices in Rotterdam and Utrecht as an experiment, rather than imposing mandatory days.

Other companies, including Wolters Kluwer, Just Eat Takeaway, and law firms Stibbe and Houthoff, have also implemented mandatory office hours, while insurance groups ASR and NN have recommended that staff work from the office two days a week. Wolters Kluwer announced that staff must be in the office for a minimum number of days per week starting in September, in an effort to “improve the balance” between “flexibility for the worker” and “collaboration and strength in innovation.”