Deutsche Bank asks 20 per cent of staff to return to London office
Deutsche Bank is the latest City firm to ask employees to return to the office, as it invites some of its London-based staff back to its headquarters.
The German bank has asked around 20 per cent of its employees to come back to its Great Winchester Street headquarters this week, according to Financial News.
This equates to around 1,400 of Deustche’s employees. It is understood that the percentage of staff being asked to return is higher in different parts of the business, notably in its investment bank division.
Deutsche Bank had reportedly kept the number of employees in its London HQ to a minimum, having invited just 10 per cent of staff back earlier this year.
There is a growing concern within government over the economic damage being caused by the resistance to return to the office after six months of lockdown.
Accountancy firm PwC last week warned that home working could cost the UK economy up to £15.3bn a year due to the knock-on effect on office cleaners and security guards, as well as cafes and coffee shops.
Pret a Manger, which relies on a stream of office workers, has already announced it will cut 2,800 jobs due to the impact of the pandemic.
There has been a slow return to the office for many of London’s office workers but many big firms have maintained they will continue remote working in some capacity.
Last month fund manager Schroders said its employees could continue working from home even after the pandemic, in a complete overhaul of its working patterns.
However other companies, like Deutsche Bank, are pushing employees to return to work after nearly six months out of the office. Goldman Sachs is reportedly laying on perks, such as free food and the use of an on-site nursery, in an attempt to lure staff back to its London office.
Deutsche Bank declined to comment.