UniCredit ends default remote working: managers now, all staff from January 2027

UniCredit, one of Europe’s largest banks, has ended remote working as a default arrangement. Chief executive Andrea Orcel removed it for his direct reports with immediate effect on 4 November 2026, and Italian unions say the change will cover essentially all staff from January 2027, with exceptions approved case by case. The internal memo describes remote work as something that “is not an automatic right for anyone” (Reuters; Il Sole 24 Ore).

Why this matters

If you work for UniCredit, or for a bank that benchmarks against it, the working pattern you were hired on may change in about seven weeks. The unions have rejected what they call a unilateral decision and are threatening action, so the final rules may still shift. In Germany the picture is different: Handelsblatt reports that at the HypoVereinsbank subsidiary only managers are affected, because other staff are covered by an existing works agreement (Handelsblatt).

Context

The German detail is the useful one for anyone job-hunting. Where remote work is written into a collective or works agreement, an employer cannot simply withdraw it; where it is a policy or a perk, it can. Before accepting a hybrid role, ask which of the two you are being offered. For more on how employers are approaching office attendance, see what managers say about the return to the office.