Business & Technology
UK finance workers eye quitting over office mandates
KAREN JOY BACUDO
Finance Editor
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.
Oxford-based Peripear has secured an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award and a £74,974 grant for its development of a wearable device designed to prevent perineal trauma during labour.
The funding will support continued product development ahead of the company’s planned first-in-human study.
Nina van Schaick, co-founder and COO of Peripear as well as a midwife who trained at Oxford Brookes, said: “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to see this gap.
“I was incredibly lucky to meet my co-founder, Eviatar Natan, right as my frustration about the lack of translation of evidence into practice had peaked.
“There was a proven mechanism that could reduce injuries occurring in up to 90 per cent of vaginal births, and it was being left out of clinical pathways simply because no standardised tool existed to deliver it.”
Peripear is developing what it describes as the world’s first automated perineal thermotherapy wearable, designed to prevent perineal trauma during childbirth.
A perineal thermotherapy wearable is an emerging medical device.
It is a hands‑free warm compress device used on the perineum during the second stage of labour to reduce severe tearing and episiotomies while improving maternal comfort.
Ms van Schaick added: “I’m a farmer’s granddaughter, and when I started practising over 14 years ago, I asked: where is the tool I need to implement this evidence? I looked around and realised we were still asking clinicians to improvise.
“Peripear is what happens when the person who has lived the problem, both personally and professionally, meets the person who can help her build the solution.”
The company behind bikemaker Raleigh, which was founded 139 years ago and has supplied bikes to the UK’s cycling city of Oxford over the years, has filed to appoint administrators.
Accell UK and Ireland, part of Netherlands-based Accell Group, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators as the wider group kickstarted insolvency proceedings.
This follows a difficult spell for Nottinghamshire-based Raleigh, which confirmed job cuts in 2024 before reporting a £30m loss in financial accounts published the following year.
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The boss of Accell said it was a “deeply sad and frustrating situation” and that it had “tirelessly explored” every option for the future of the cycling business.
The company bought Raleigh in 2012 for around 100 million US dollars (£74 million), adding to its roster of bike brands throughout Europe including Haibike, Winora and Ghost.
Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in 1887 and was well-known for its Chopper model, which featured extended handlebars and is now part of its “retro” range.
It no longer manufactures bikes from Nottingham, and its head office has moved to Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, while the company has shifted to selling electric bikes under Accell’s ownership.
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Accell went through a restructuring in February, securing additional funding from shareholders and lenders and reducing debts.
The group said it had since “explored every possible avenue” for its future, including discussions with potential buyers, but that it had not been possible to find a solution which means the business can continue operating.
It has therefore initiated insolvency proceedings in the Netherlands.
Accell’s chief executive Jonas Nilsson said: “This is a deeply sad and frustrating situation given all the hard work and everything we have achieved, with the support of shareholders and lenders, to restructure Accell’s operations and finances.
“It is an especially difficult moment for our employees, creditors, customers, suppliers, and partners.
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“Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the Group in its current form.
“Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow.”
At its 1970s height, Raleigh employed more than 13,000 people across the UK, with around 8,000 working at its various Triumph Road sites in Nottingham.
The former factory land later became the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus.
Raleigh subsequently moved its headquarters to Church Street in Eastwood, before leaving that site and relocating to Durban House in 2024.
Celebrating both GCSE and A-Level Results Days, the chain will offer the popular dish to students who buy one of its bubble teas.
The free offer is available at all 42 Rosa’s Thai restaurants across England and Wales.
To avail of the free noodles, students need to register on Rosa’s Thai website for a unique code, which they should present at the restaurant together with a copy of their results.
Rosa’s Thai has a new range of bubble tea flavours, including Ube-Taro, Matcha-Coconut, Mango Sticky Rice, and Milo Chocolate Milk, as well as favourites like Home-brewed Thai Tea with Tapioca, and Lychee Mango with mango boba.
Students can sign up for their free Pad Thai at rosasthai.com/result-day-free-pad-thai and find their nearest restaurant at rosasthai.com/locations.
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