Hargreaves Lansdown orders staff back to office

The wealth manager is headquartered in Bristol

The UK’s largest DIY investment platform is requiring staff to return to the office from the beginning of next year. Hargreaves Lansdown will mandate employees attend the workplace three days a week, shortly after it relocates to its new Bristol headquarters.

The company announced plans last year to move its 2,000-strong workforce to the new site by Temple Meads station after 40 years on Anchor Road.

The wealth manager, which was bought by private equity firms including CVC Capital Partners in 2024 for £5.4bn, has not previously imposed a minimum office attendance requirement, according to reports in the Financial Times.

The compulsory office days will follow the firm’s strategy to transition employees into its new premises in phases from September, giving them time to adjust to the new environment.

The move comes as some staff seldom visit the office, according to one person with knowledge of the decision, making collaboration between employees more difficult.

Hargreaves Lansdown, which employs 2,400 people, confirmed the arrangements and said there remained “flexibility” for its workforce, as reported by City AM.

The investment platform’s decision to bring staff back to the office mirrors that of other organisations.

Companies have been choosing to recall workers in an attempt to end the widespread remote working that emerged during the Covid pandemic.

This includes British lender TSB, which is requiring staff to return to the office three days per week from April next year, up from the current two, to align with Santander’s policy following its acquisition by the Spanish bank.

JPMorgan Chase also instructed all staff to return to the office last week, though thousands of employees worldwide signed a petition opposing the decision.

Conversely, some City institutions have been easing office requirements amid the UK’s succession of heatwaves.

In June, JPMorgan Chase was amongst the organisations letting employees off the hook, alongside ING and Deutsche.

Lloyd’s of London also permitted staff to work remotely from its historic City headquarters in late July as the Square Mile prepared for another week of soaring temperatures.

Hargreaves Lansdown has encountered substantial competition in recent years, as digital upstarts and cheaper, rapidly expanding competitors, including AJ Bell and Interactive Investor, attracted customers away.

The platform is seeking to modernise its technology and revamped its fee structure earlier this year, reducing costs for the majority of clients. However, this resulted in a small proportion facing higher charges.