Barclays has backed down over its return-to-the-office plans after facing a revolt by thousands of staff.
The bank has delayed an overhaul of its hybrid-working policy that would have forced employees to work from the office three days a week.
The policy was meant to come into force on Monday, but staff have been told it will now only be introduced at the start of 2027, after a transition period.
Until then, staff will be encouraged to comply but will not be required to.
"We are extending the implementation period for UK colleagues to ensure colleagues have the right support as we move through the transition," staff were told in a memo, according to the Financial Times.
"You will not be required to meet the new arrangements until the start of 2027," the memo from the executive committee of Barclays continued.
The compromise comes after staff rebelled over demands to come in more often. Employees demanded extra pay to cover commuting costs and called for exemptions for any employees whose commutes were longer than 40 minutes.
Thousands of Barclays employees signed an open letter coordinated by Unite, which represents 80pc of the lender's 45,000 staff.
Barclays' push to get staff back to the office is in line with wider efforts by City firms to reverse remote-working policies that were introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
White-collar workers at some of the world's biggest companies have resisted the change.
In an extreme case, TSB staff have started preparing legal action over plans to force them to work in the office three days a week following the takeover by Santander.
The Government has vowed to make it harder for employers to block staff from working remotely, with plans to force businesses to "properly consider" flexible work requests. The changes would require companies to offer a face-to-face meeting with staff to explain why their homeworking requests had been rejected.
A Barclays spokesman said: "Our updated onsite working arrangements will take effect as planned. We have continued to listen to colleague feedback to ensure colleagues have the right support while enabling us to deliver the benefits of working together in person.
"This includes transitional measures for those whose personal circumstances currently prevent them from meeting the new arrangements."
