ECB Extends Rule Allowing Remote Work for About Half the Time

(Bloomberg) -- The European Central Bank extended a regime under which staff is allowed to work remotely for 110 days — about half the time — each year.

The decision prolongs current rules that permit as many as 10 monthly days away from the office until 2027, when a new review is planned, an ECB spokesperson said. Employees can work 90 of their 110 days outside of Frankfurt.

The current system took effect in 2023, tightening a previous arrangement introduced during the pandemic. About 95% of staff worked remotely last year, for an average of 57 days, according to the ECB.

Carlos Bowles, chair of the ECB staff committee, welcomed the decision.

“The possibility to work for home matters a lot to ECB staff as it helps make work obligations more easily compatible with their private constraints,” he said in an email. “It is also an essential element to attract and retain a future oriented workforce, while further building the institution’s resilience.”

Remote work has been in retreat in the wider financial industry. Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings Plc and Barclays Plc last year ordered more employees back to the office full time and JPMorgan Chase & Co. is preparing to announce a similar move, Bloomberg reported last month. German banks still offer more flexibility, with Deutsche Bank AG allowing two days a week away from the office.

President Donald Trump has, meanwhile, taken aim at such policies in the US government. In one of his first actions since returning to the White House, he ordered employees back to the office, revoking work-from-home accommodations under his predecessor, Joe Biden.

The ECB’s move comes as the central bank reduces its physical and environmental footprint in Frankfurt. It announced last year that it will move supervisory staff to newly leased offices from two separate locations where they’re currently based. It’s also reorganizing offices so desks are shared between colleagues.

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