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Barclays has become the latest major company to tighten its office attendance policy, requiring staff to be in the office at least three days a week.

The British-based bank revealed a stricter approach to hybrid working in a memo to staff earlier this week, reducing the minimum number of days staff can work from home from three to two, as reported by .

Many Barclays employees, including those in client-facing and investment banking roles, already spend four or five days a week in the office, but the official company-wide policy had only required two days.

The decision to increase this to three, first reported by the Financial Times, comes as many major º£½ÇÊÓƵ firms grapple with their approach to hybrid working as the pandemic's impact recedes.

Earlier this month, City AM reported that WPP boss Mark Read had informed his 100,000-strong workforce that they would need to work from the office at least four days a week from April.

This announcement, made via a company-wide memo, sparked a strong backlash from Read’s staff, resulting in a public petition that garnered nearly 20,000 signatures.

Shortly after WPP announced its new policy, Barclays' competitor Lloyds stated that senior staff could have their bonuses reduced or withdrawn if they do not work from the office at least twice a week.

The º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s largest mortgage lender told managers it expected them to set an example for younger staff.