UniCredit has notified its top management that they can no longer work remotely and plans to impose a company-wide return to office mandate, according to unions representing the bank’s workers.

UniCredit chief executive Andrea Orcel told his direct reports that remote working will be banned for senior managers except in specific cases and if agreed it in advance, five Italian trade unions said.

The unions, including the Italian Federation of Insurance and Credit Workers, the Autonomous Federation of Italian Bank Workers and the Italian Union of Bank, Insurance and Tax Workers criticised the “unilateral decision” and said UniCredit had not been clear on its policy.

They added that Orcel has indicated the mandate will be applied to all UniCredit staff from January 2027 and that industrial action could be on the cards.

In a statement, a spokesperson for UniCredit told Reuters: “in-person collaboration plays an important role in ​fostering knowledge ​sharing, professional ⁠development and effective teamwork”.

Several high-profile financial institutions have implemented return to office mandates in the years since pandemic measures lifted and remote-first working became an organisational choice.

JPMorgan demanded all workers return to office five days per week in January 2025, with its chief executive Jamie Dimon having dismissed a petition against the decision that was signed by around 2,000 employees. HSBC followed suit in October 2025, requiring all senior managers to work in office four days per week.

In June, Revolut announced plans to scrap its remote-first approach to graduate roles and set new requirements for graduate employees to work in-office for at least three days per week.

Some organisations have faced pushback against return to office plans. In October, the union Unite has criticised NatWest for requiring approximately 13,497 remote employees to begin attending the office, and Barclays delayed its three-day office mandate in September after staff backlash.

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