Starling Bank has faced backlash and staff resignations following a new policy by its chief executive, Raman Bhatia, requiring hybrid workers to spend at least 10 days per month in the office.
The change, Bhatia’s first major directive since succeeding founder Anne Boden in March, has sparked complaints over inadequate office capacity and disruptions to work-life balance.
The digital-only bank, which employs over 3,200 staff, admitted that its existing office infrastructure is insufficient to accommodate the increased in-office presence.
With 900 desks across locations in London, Cardiff, Southampton, and its newly opened Manchester site, many employees raised concerns over desk shortages and parking availability.
In an internal email seen by The Guardian, the HR team acknowledged the limitations:
“We are aware that in some office locations we may not be able to accommodate 10 office working days per month for everyone right now. We are considering ways in which we can create more space.”
Staff Discontent and Resignations
The policy change has provoked strong reactions on the company’s Slack messaging platform, with some employees accusing management of ignoring their concerns.
One employee, whose resignation followed the announcement, told The Guardian:
“I’ve worked for Starling for years and have done my job effectively while working almost entirely from home.
Being asked without warning to take on the time, expense, and life disruption of returning to the office for half of the working week is not something I can personally understand or accept.”
Other employees expressed dissatisfaction with the abruptness of the policy. One Slack post that received over 100 likes criticised the changes as being “rammed down everyone’s throats” and accused leadership of fostering a “bland grey corporate hellscape.”
Bhatia Defends the Policy
In response, Bhatia defended the decision in a company-wide email, stating that he had been transparent about encouraging more in-office work over the past few months.
He argued that increased office attendance would enhance “creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, performance, and engagement.”
Founded in 2014, Starling Bank has grown rapidly, expanding from 43,000 customers in 2017 to 3.6 million in 2023, alongside a surge in workforce numbers.
However, the bank recently faced scrutiny from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which fined Starling £29 million for “shockingly lax” controls against financial crimes.
Part of a Wider Trend
Starling’s policy aligns with a growing trend among major corporations to bring staff back to the office. Goldman Sachs and Amazon have mandated full-time in-office attendance, while Asda has introduced a three-day minimum for its office workers starting next year.
In a statement, Starling Bank said:
“Starling recently formalised a longstanding practice in which colleagues were encouraged to work in their local office for two to three days a week. By bringing colleagues together in person, our aim is to achieve greater collaboration that will benefit our customers as we enter Starling’s next phase of growth.”
Despite these assurances, the policy has left many employees questioning whether the bank is prepared to address their concerns over space constraints and the impact on their work-life balance.
