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(Bloomberg) — A majority of UK finance bosses want to get staff into the office more often in the coming year, with some planning to install cameras to track attendance, according to a survey by KPMG UK published Thursday.
Over 75% of financial services chiefs are planning to increase office attendance over the next 12 months, according to a survey of 150 leaders at director level or above conducted in September by KPMG. Of these, almost four in ten want employees working in the office at least four days a week.
“Leaders see the commercial value of hybrid working models, particularly when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, but they are still expecting greater office attendance in the coming months to retain collaboration with colleagues and clients,” said Karim Haji, global and UK head of financial services at KPMG.
Almost a third of UK finance leaders will install digital cameras to track attendance, while nearly half are planning to use card-swipe systems, according to the survey.
Finance firms were among the leaders in the return-to-office push after the pandemic four years ago. With labor markets now loosening and employee confidence shrinking, businesses in many sectors are cracking down even further. PwC UK recently mandated three days in the office, while Amazon.com Inc. has ordered employees back in five days a week.
Companies may need to overcome some staff resistance: a separate study by KPMG last year found that only 10% of financial services employees in the UK preferred being in the office every day.
London has been slower to return to the office than other global cities. Londoners across all industries spend little more than half the week in the office, while workers in Paris, New York or Singapore go in more than three days every week, according to a study from the Centre for Cities.
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