Within weeks of each other this summer the country's two biggest banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland, announced plans to increase the number of in-office days for their hybrid workers.
The moves led to angry responses from staff and their representatives, with the Financial Services Union (FSU) describing the AIB announcement as "regressive, shortsighted and without justification".
The FSU branded the Bank of Ireland decision as "problematic and at variance with the views of staff".
It was a reminder of how important flexibility and remote working has become to so many employees, and a reminder also that they are willing to fight to keep it.
AIB announcement
In July, AIB said that hybrid staff would be required to work in an office-based location for a minimum of three days a week.
The FSU criticised the announcement, accusing the bank of acting unilaterally.
Following negotiations between the two sides, AIB presented the FSU with new proposals this week that will allow AIB Hubs to be used as one of the three days in the office, as well as greater flexibility on how these days in the office can be used.
"The bank and the union will jointly review members pre-existing arrangements to provide exceptions and where evidenced pre-existing arrangements will be honoured," said John O'Connell, General Secretary of the FSU.
"These proposals also state that any further changes will have to be agreed with the union into the future, which will give members clarity going forward," Mr O'Connell added.
The FSU is to ballot its members in AIB on the new hybrid proposals and if they are rejected, the union will refer the matter to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
In a statement, AIB said it has listened to feedback from staff and taken on board constructive suggestions from the FSU.
"We will not increase office attendance requirements further as long as the new arrangements are effective," the bank said.
Bank of Ireland changes
Also in July, Bank of Ireland announced that staff who are eligible for hybrid working would be required to work in-person a minimum of eight days per month or two days per week.
The company said for many staff, hybrid working is not an option and it was important to find a fair and balanced approach.
"Finding the right balance is important for all of us, as face-to-face interaction helps team work and output, innovation, and problem solving," Bank of Ireland said at the time.
The FSU said the new requirements would have major implications for work/life balance, commuting times, childcare, and staff retention.
It added that changes of this scale needed to be agreed with the union prior to implementation.
In August, the FSU referred Bank of Ireland to the Workplace Relations Commission, saying it had been left with "no option" following "intransigence" by the bank.
Bank of Ireland insisted that it had engaged with the FSU on the issue and added that its hybrid working model is "very flexible", allowing staff to work from home and office locations.
Staff 'shocked' by the changes
An employee of one of the big banks, who is impacted by the changes, said there was surprise and shock when the row back on remote working was announced this summer.
The staff member, who asked not to be named, said there was also a sense of disappointment.
"This wasn't very well sign-posted. In all of the bank's own pushes in relation to well-being and stuff like that, they've always pointed towards their hybrid policy," he said.
"But now we see the shaky ground it was on - what will be next? A complete return to the office?"
The staff member said this is a row about consultation and understanding.
"The bank is well used to involving staff in decisions and have a long history of that. The lack of consultation is the thing that really surprised and disappointed people.
"There is a trade off with working from home. If you have a really bad cough, and you're facing the commute into work, you might ring in sick.
"But if you've a really bad cough and you're sitting at home, you'll throw on a dressing gown and get on with it.
"If you're finished work at five o'clock but an email comes in at five past five and you're working from home, you'll probably reply as you'll still be there.
"But if you're commuting, you will already have left the left the office."
The employee also highlighted the fact that the bank he works for made massive profits last year.
"They've seen no decline in income, nor have they demonstrated reasons why this should be changing now if it's working."
"The bank has been making a big push in relation to sustainability and so much of that goal could have been met by staff not travelling on the roads," he said.
"I know someone who has to travel from Letterkenny into Dublin City on a weekly basis."
"It doesn't make sense because half the time they're not even going in to meet a team, they're just going in to fulfill a directive," he said.
The banks have told their hybrid staff that they can work in regional hubs, but this can also be problematic according to this employee.
"The worst part at the moment is the desk booking systems in the hubs - it's like trying to get Oasis tickets!"
No major row back on hybrid working - Ibec
Last year saw big companies such as Amazon, Dell and IBM telling their remote workers to return to the office for either some or all of the working week.
Business group Ibec surveys Irish employers on their attitudes to hybrid working.
"We haven't seen significant shifts here in Ireland in terms of a big move back from remote working," said Maeve McElwee, Executive Director of Employer Relations at Ibec.
"We know that employers still very much identify remote and hybrid working as being a really valued part of work and we're not seeing any significant row back," Ms McElwee said.
She believes that hybrid working is still in its early phases and that businesses are still trying to get the balance right.
"What we try to convey to employers is that they need to remind people that they are still learning and that this is very likely to change and change again."
"I think there is still a really long road to go in terms of getting it right," she added.
Many companies that have hybrid working policies have encountered a lack of compliance by some staff with workers failing to attend the office on their required days.
"I think it's fair to say breaches are common and that has brought challenges.
"Even where it isn't voluntary whether you come into the office or not, there are still patches within organisations where compliance is probably not what it should be.
"That can lead to equity issues between one team and the next and employers have to manage that.
"We often hear of the challenges in organisations where they have a cohort that can have the advantage of working in a hybrid way, and those who have to be on-site to deliver their role.
"There are natural elements of fairness that need to be seen to be managed in those circumstances.
"It's about managing the overall performance of the organisation rather than individual productivity," Ms McElwee said.
Discussions of hybrid working frequently spark "us versus them" arguments, where employees who do not have access to remote arrangements offer little sympathy to staff members who are asked to increase their in-office attendance by a day or two.
Both AIB and Bank of Ireland pointed to fairness as a factor in their efforts to change their hybrid policies. Frontline bank staff in branches do not have the option of working from home.
Hybrid bank workers would question the need for change, arguing that they are getting the job done and pointing to the fact that their companies are continuing to make huge profits.
For management however, perhaps these moves are less about the balance sheet and more about a balanced approach to employment models in this ever evolving world of work.
