WEALTH May 19, 2026 0 Comments

Why Financial Pros Are Quietly Rebelling Against Rigid Office Rules – And What It Means for the Industry

You ever get the feeling that heading back to the office feels a bit like being stuck in a never-ending episode of a sitcom where nobody’s really happy? Well, it turns out that in Ireland’s financial services sector, this isn’t just a gut feeling—it’s a full-blown reality. According to research by Morgan McKinley, over half of the folks in this industry are downright unhappy with their current office attendance rules, and some 62% say these mandates have actually amped up their urge to jump ship. Imagine needing a pay raise just to cover your commute, battling stress, and feeling like your productivity takes a nosedive—all while squeezing into a three-day-in-office routine that nobody seems thrilled about. What’s really cooking here is a clash between what bosses think office time should do—boost culture, collaboration, and learning—and what employees experience: rising costs, shrinking flexibility, and burnout. It’s high time we rethink whether dragging everyone back to their desks is worth the talent drain—because, spoiler alert, flexibility ain’t a perk anymore, it’s survival. LEARN MORE

The majority of people working in Ireland’s financial services sector are unhappy with their current office attendance requirements, according to Morgan McKinley.

Some 51% of employees in the sector are dissatisfied with their employer’s attendance policy, and 62% said office attendance requirements have increase their desire to leave their role.

Seven in 10 (70%) said they need higher pay to cover commuting costs, while two-thirds (64%) said office requirements are contributing to stress or burnout.

A further 60% believe more time in the office is lowering productivity.

Three days in the office has emerged as the dominant model across the sector, reported by 32% of employees and 38% of employers.

At the same time, 83% of employees and 84% of employers expect office requirements to stay the same over the next year, suggesting that while the policy debate may have cooled, dissatisfaction with the current model has not.

Morgan McKinley said the research points to a clear disconnect between employer intent and employee experience.

While employers continue to link office attendance with collaboration, culture and learning, many employees see the trade-off very differently, citing higher costs, reduced flexibility, and less productive working time.

Nearly half of employees surveyed (48%) said they have caring responsibilities, reinforcing the extent to which working from home remains a practical support for many professionals rather than simply a lifestyle preference.

This was consistent across both women and men, with 51% of female respondents and 45% of male respondents reporting caring responsibilities.

However, the impact of office requirements is not always experienced in the same way. Female respondents were more likely to report increased stress and burnout linked to in-office working, at 69% compared with 58% of male respondents.

They were also more than twice as likely to say in-office working resulted in less support for women and minorities, at 28% compared with 12%.

“The return to office debate has moved on. It is no longer simply about how many days people spend in the office. It is about whether current workplace models are helping firms to attract and retain talent or making that harder,” said Trayc Keevans, global foreign direct investment director at Morgan McKinley.

“The research shows very clearly that employees still see value in being together for collaboration, learning, and connection. But they are also saying that office attendance comes with real costs, from commuting expenses to lower flexibility, higher stress and, according to many respondents, less productive time.

“For employers, the challenge now is to make sure office policies support performance without creating unnecessary pressure on retention, recruitment and morale.

“That means recognising that flexibility is not a fringe benefit, but a core part of how people manage work, caring responsibilities and career decisions.”

Photo: Trayc Keevans. (Pic: Supplied)