Fintechs return to office but retain flexible working model

Fintechs, like the big banks, insurers and other industries, have announced plans to return to the office this week after the government scrapped its work-from-home guidance in England.

But the fintechs AltFi spoke to said flexible working arrangements would remain, as they reaped the benefits from a hybrid working model.

Buy now, pay later firm Klarna, for instance, said it was offering staff a hybrid working model, where they come to the office at least one day a week.

Klarna staff, like other fintechs, have been working from home, in line with government guidance after it tightened Covid regulations on 8 December last year.

A Klarna spokesperson said: “Our current policy is that where possible, we operate a flexible hybrid working model depending on local safety precautions/regulations. 

“Teams work together in the office on one agreed day each week with the option to increase to two days, and with the flexibility to choose to work from home or the office on other days.”

Neobank Starling, meanwhile, said it was planning a “gradual” return to the office.

"We are planning a gradual return to the office for staff who have been following the guidance and working from home. We are likely to retain a hybrid model for certain roles,” a spokesperson said.

Rival neobank Monzo said staff are given the “option” of returning to Monzo’s London office this week and next week to Monzo’s Cardiff office.

Likewise, staff at Revolut can also return to the office this week, but it’s entirely up to them.

“We enable staff to come into the office if they wish, or work from home. We offer a hybrid model between working from home and working from the office,” a Revolut spokesperson said.

“Our employees asked for flexibility and that’s what we’re giving them as part of our ongoing focus on employee experience and choice.”

Cashplus said it would be a “cautious return” to the office for staff from today (Monday).

A spokesperson for Cashplus said: "Since December all of our permanent employees have been working from home under the plan B guidance with a few exceptions for critical roles.

“Our London based colleagues are now welcome to work from the office, but we are not requiring anyone to come in at this time.”

“We are in the process of finding a new location for our teams in North West (mostly operations but also some technology and commercial) so we are currently running regular monthly offsite team meetings and working sessions, usually with some attendees from London."

Like many fintechs, Cashplus said it will retain a “high level of flexibility” moving forward.

“We will certainly be maintaining a high level of flexibility for our teams with very minimal requirements for attending the office,” the spokesperson added.

“But as with most things, there are a range of views and preferences, so we will also be working on upgrading our shared working spaces for this new era of hybrid working and making it a great environment for colleagues whether they choose to work from the office every day or once a month.”