Citigroup will have ‘vast majority’ of its 9,000 UK workers back in the office for three days a week

The UK boss of Citigroup has said ‘business works best from being together’ as the American banking giant plans to get staff back in the office.

James Bardrick said the ‘vast majority’ of its workers – 6,000 in London and 3,000 in Belfast – will be called in three days a week if restrictions are eased on July 19.

He said the move is so employees are together again ‘to get the best out of yourself and for the team’.

It comes as other big firms such as Goldman Sachs are planning to get staff back in the office next month.

But some employers have told workers they need to submit their vaccinations status before heading in.

Meanwhile Office For National Statistics figures found people working from home spent 45 minutes less doing their job each day.

The study released today shows home workers only spend six-and-a-half hours a day on work.

Mr Bardrick, Citi’s country officer for the UK, said said when lockdown is eased the ‘vast majority’ of workers would be back in the office for three days a week.

He told the Today programme: ‘We strongly believe that our business works best from being together.

‘We think that we are better together. We think we succeed for our clients and for our organisation together.

‘So what we are saying is that, yes, use greater flexibility, but to do your job well, to develop as an employee, to get the best out of yourself and for the team, we need to be together.’

The businessman said Citigroup would not follow fellow banking giant JP Morgan in registering staff members’ vaccination status.

James Bardrick (left, with Sajid Javid and George Osborne in 2018) said the ‘vast majority’ of its workers – 6,000 in London and 3,000 in Belfast – will be called in three days a week if restrictions are eased on July 19

But he said anyone heading into one of their buildings would have to ‘demonstrate that they have got a negative test result’.

JP Morgan has told employees in the US to log their vaccination status on an internal portal for when they are expected to return to the office next month.

Goldman Sachs has also said workers in the States have to reveal whether they have been jabbed – but it is voluntary for those in Britain.

Meanwhile official data suggests people working from home spend 45 minutes fewer on their job each day.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures released today show home workers only spend six-and-a-half hours a day on work

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures released today show home workers only spend six-and-a-half hours a day on work.

In comparison, people still commuting into an office or factory spent around seven hours and 15 minutes a day working — including half-an-hour at home.

The data was taken from a survey of thousands of Brits, who were quizzed about how they spent their time over the past year.

It was earlier revealed millions of office staff may get a ‘default’ right to work from home under post-pandemic plans from ministers. 

The proposals would change the law to make it impossible for employers to insist on staff attending the workplace unless they can show it is essential.  

No10 will consult on the plan — part of a drive to promote flexible working — over the summer, ahead of possible legislation later this year.   

The ONS data today showed that, overall, the average amount of hours people spent working at home in the UK increased from 55 to 74 minutes a day from March and April last year to March this year. 

People working from spent 45 minutes less a day on their job than those who returned to normal working conditions

Retirees, stay-at-home mothers and unemployed people were included in the data. 

Brits have been asked to work from home wherever possible since No10 introduced the first lockdown last spring.

The ONS also looked at how vaccinated people spent their time, compared to non-jabbed adults.

Statisticians said most people did not change their lifestyles much after receiving a vaccine, even as the programme was expanded to younger groups.

Most people with a vaccine said they did not see others from outside their household any more frequently than they had before their jab.