UK finance workers eye quitting over office mandates

More than half of financial workers in the UK are considering leaving their jobs because of office attendance mandates and the stress linked to them, according to research by Morgan McKinley. In the survey, 57% said that in-office requirements were increasing their desire to quit.

Commuting costs were another pressure point across accounting, banking and financial services. Nearly seven in 10 respondents said they needed higher pay to cover the cost of going into the office, adding to wider retention concerns in a labour market where employers are already struggling to recruit skilled professionals.

The findings highlight a clash between employers' push for more office time and employees' demand for flexibility. A three-day office week is now the most common working pattern, cited by 35% of employees, and both sides broadly expect that model to remain in place over the next year.

Many workers also said returning to the office was affecting their well-being. Some 67% said office attendance had increased stress or burnout, suggesting the impact extends beyond travel costs and scheduling.

Women reported sharper effects than men across several measures. Only 54% of female respondents said they were satisfied with current office expectations, compared with 66% of male respondents.

The gap was also clear in stress levels. About 74% of women said office attendance had increased stress and burnout, compared with 55% of men. Meanwhile, 61% of women said they were less productive in the office, versus 54% of male respondents.

Flexibility appears to be central to those responses. Morgan McKinley said 49% of female respondents reported caregiving responsibilities, compared with 41% of male respondents, indicating that return-to-office policies can affect employee groups unevenly.

Hybrid working and flexible hours remain among the most valued benefits for finance workers. About 66% ranked them among the benefits they value most, while 62% of job seekers said they had rejected roles that did not offer flexibility.

The pressure is also showing up in hiring patterns. Some 77% of employers said they were already finding it difficult to hire skilled professionals, while 43% reported greater recruitment challenges and 28% said resignations had increased.

These figures suggest office policies are becoming part of a broader staffing problem in a sector that employs hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. Pay expectations, workplace flexibility and employee well-being are now closely linked in hiring and retention decisions.

A stricter return to the office may appeal to employers seeking more in-person collaboration, training and oversight. But the data suggests workers are weighing those expectations against direct costs and the strain of reduced flexibility, particularly when household and caregiving demands remain high.

"The return-to-office debate in the UK financial services sector has moved beyond simple attendance levels to whether workplace policies support firms in attracting and retaining talent, or actively work against that goal. Our data shows employees still value time in the office for collaboration and development, but they are also clear about the trade-offs, particularly around commuting costs, flexibility and wellbeing. For UK employers, the challenge is increasingly about balance. The firms that get this right will be better placed to compete for scarce talent in a market where expectations have fundamentally shifted," Seb O'Connell, chief executive officer of Org Group, said.