Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has reversed its strict return-to-office mandate, allowing employees and their managers to determine working arrangements after significant pushback from staff.
The regional lender announced that it will maintain flexible working policies in 2026, abandoning an earlier requirement for employees to spend 60% of their working week in the office, up from 40%.
“In 2026, our people will continue to be encouraged to be in the office most of the time; however, we ask our people to find a rhythm that works best for them and their leader,” a Bendigo Bank spokesperson told news.com.au.
The decision followed feedback gathered through an internal employee satisfaction survey, according to news.com.au. The bank has also removed office attendance as a performance metric.
The Finance Sector Union said it had observed some teams at Bendigo reassessing and reducing their 60% in-office mandate ahead of the formal policy change.
“Make no mistake – your voice contributed to this outcome,” the union said in a statement. “Bendigo Bank employees consistently reported that in-office attendance requirements contributed to increased commuting costs, were detrimental to work/life balance, and disrupted family and other caring arrangements.”
The bank first increased office attendance requirements in July, mandating staff spend the majority of their week on-site. Two years earlier, senior managers were expected to be in the office most of the week, while other staff could work from home a maximum of three out of five days.
Former chief executive Marnie Baker told staff in an internal briefing to return to the office for “our own mental health,” comparing corporate employees with branch staff who were required to attend work daily, a report from Financial Review noted.
“This is about our own mental health, this is about the fact that we are a relationship bank,” she said at the time.
Despite the reversal, Bendigo Bank said working together in person remains important for relationships and culture.
“Our people have shared with us having the opportunity to work remotely some of the time enables them to better balance their working and home lives,” the spokesperson told news.com.au. “Being together and working side-by-side helps us build relationships across the business, create a vibrant culture, and leads to better opportunities for us to collaborate, innovate, and learn.”
The bank noted that about half of its workforce is based in regional Australia.
Bendigo Bank’s decision contrasts with other major Australian lenders that continue to enforce office attendance requirements. Commonwealth Bank requires staff to spend at least 50% of their time in the office, while Westpac and National Australia Bank mandate two or three days a week, Financial Review reported.
ANZ earlier this year warned staff that those attending the office less than 40% of the time could face cuts to their variable pay of up to half, depending on seniority.
A September report from Robert Half found that 15% of Australian employers planned to increase mandated in-office days over the next 12 months, while 9% planned to reduce them.
