Barclays back-to-office rule revolt – Understanding flexible working rules

12 October 2026

Over the past few days, there has been a backlash from Barclays employees after working-from-home policies have been tightened.

Thousands of staff members have backed a call to exempt them from the bank’s decision to make them work from the office three days a week.

The bank introduced working-from-home policies amidst the pandemic and is following suit with many companies rolling back their work-from-home policies now that we are six years on.

However, with the Government beginning to tighten the rules around flexible working arrangements in 2027, the bank could be playing a dangerous game and other employers should think carefully before following suit.

What are the current flexible working rules?

Flexible working arrangements give employees the chance to work in a way that suits their needs, for example, working from home.

Employees can request a change to:

• The number of hours that they work.
• When they start or finish work.
• The days that they work.
• Where they work.

This must be done by submitting a statutory application to an employer, which can be made from day one of employment.

Once submitted, employers must handle the request in a reasonable manner and then decide if they want to agree to or refuse the application.

Currently, there are reasons for refusing a request. These include:

• Extra costs will damage the business.
• Other staff cannot pick up the extra work.
• People cannot be recruited to do the work.
• Flexible working will affect quality.
• Flexible working will affect performance.
• The business will not be able to meet consumer demand.
• There’s a lack of work to do during the proposed working times.
• The business is planning changes to the workforce.

However, this is set to change in 2027.

How will flexible working rules change in 2027?

In the autumn of 2027, we are set to see some reforms to flexible working arrangements under the Employment Rights Act. Most of the changes pertain to refusals of requests.

The biggest change is that employers will only be able to refuse a flexible working request if it is genuinely reasonable to do so.

This moves the focus from whether the ground technically applies to whether the refusal will stand up to scrutiny.

Employers will also have to provide greater transparency in the decision-making process. Employers must send a refusal along with why they think it is reasonable to refuse on these grounds.

It will also be the case that employees are allowed to be accompanied and can keep a written record of all discussions pertaining to their request.

One of the other significant changes is that employees will be able to raise a tribunal claim should an employer fail to act in accordance with the statutory process.

Should a case go to a tribunal, judges will assess how the decision was made to determine whether it can be considered a legitimate refusal.

How can we help with flexible working rules?

Understanding the changes to flexible working requests will help you keep your business compliant and can keep your employees happy.

The backlash to Barclays’ flexible working policies shows employers that flexible working arrangements can make staff unhappy.

Our employment law team can help your business create effective flexible working policies to keep employees happy and buisnesses compliant ahead of the changes.

Additionally, should the need arise, our team can support you throughout an employment tribunal.

Need support with flexible working arrangements? Get in touch with our team.