HSBC Orders Execs Back To Office 4 Days Per Week
HSBC Holdings Plc has escalated its return-to-office push, requiring all managing directors to work in the office at least four days a week starting October 2025, according to a memo first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by the bank.
The memo, reviewed by The Economic Times, urged senior leaders to “set the tone from the top” and described in-person interactions as “essential to how we lead and deliver for our customers.”
HSBC’s Return To Office Policy
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The move comes as banks across the industry scale back pandemic-era remote work flexibility. Earlier this year, JPMorgan and other global financial institutions mandated full-time office attendance for large swaths of employees.
HSBC’s Recent RTO History
This latest mandate builds on HSBC’s June 2025 deliberations about a possible three-day global RTO requirement for all employees. At the time, UK staff were already required to be in the office or client-facing at least 60% of the time, with potential bonus penalties for non-compliance.
The stricter four-day requirement for the bank’s top brass reflects growing internal pressure to address desk shortages and reestablish office culture. Bloomberg reported earlier this year that HSBC’s move to a new London headquarters in 2026 could result in a shortage of up to 7,700 desks.
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