New Delhi: In a daring attempt to strengthen its return-to-office policy, HSBC has warned domestic commercial and retail banking employees in the UK that they risk losing their yearly incentives if they don’t work from the office three days a week.
The directive, according to reports, links workplace presence with income, scrutinising performance-linked pay for individuals who are not physically present in the office. Although HSBC UK chose not to make a public statement, the message to staff members, understood as compliance with office attendance policies, is now evaluated as part of performance reviews.
This development coincides with the bank’s larger strategic changes. As early as next year, HSBC intends to move its London headquarters from Canary Wharf to the Square Mile in the City. The move represents not just a change of address but also an ongoing reorganisation of the bank’s geographically strategic and physical footprint.
Several cost changes for employees are followed by the tightening of the bonus scheme. Even if bonuses were being given out selectively elsewhere in the company, City AM revealed in February that the bank was planning to lay off certain employees in its investment banking division. More recently, HSBC declared that it would eliminate 348 positions in France, which would represent almost 10% of its staff there.
Georges Elhedery, who took over as head of the bank’s international operations last year, is driving a larger transformation strategy that includes these adjustments. Elhedery’s proposal calls for combining HSBC’s investment and commercial banking divisions, a structural shift that is anticipated to lead to more layoffs, especially in senior positions.
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