WORKERS AT AIB have been told to return to their office for three days per week as the bank seeks to phase out its full-hybrid working practice.

In an email to staff yesterday, HR manager Dave McCormack said the bank wants to preserve the balance and flexibility that employees, who are not customer-facing, currently have.

The Financial Services’ Union (FSU) has labelled the change “regressive and without justification”. General Secretary John O’Connell said the announcement is a step backwards.

Non-customer-facing AIB workers have been permitted to work from home for up to five days per week since the covid-19 pandemic. Under the changes, the bank is hoping to increase “in-person connection and collaboration”.

Staff will be allocated a base location in the coming weeks, and team leaders will assign office days on a case-by-case basis. The new hybrid model will come into full effect on 1 January 2026.

All part-time and full-time employees will be required to attend on their assigned office days. Attendance will be monitored, the bank told its employees through a page on its intranet system.

FSU boss O’Connell claims that there is no rationale to the change. He said that some employees have been working from home full-time since the pandemic, and delivered ‘record profits’ in that time.

Last year, AIB delivered a €2.35bn after-tax profit and distributed €2.6bn to shareholders. Its lending and loan books also grew by 17% and 6%, respectively.

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“There is no justification for this change and the decision should be revisited with any possible change fully reflective of the views of staff,” O’Connell said yesterday.

He added: “This is a regressive step which has the potential to create unforeseen future problems for both banks.”

AIB told The Journal that it believes employees benefit from spending time with their team and colleagues, as in-person workdays leads to “greater collaboration, connection and innovation”.

It is the second bank to change its hybrid working models in recent weeks, after Bank of Ireland has requested its employees to return to the office for eight days each month.