The FCA has advised firms to return to working from home where possible.

In line with new government advice earlier this week the regulator said: “Firms should continue to follow Government advice on working from home until notified otherwise.”

In the latest government Coronavirus restrictions statements announced earlier this week Prime Minister Boris Johnson said due to rising numbers of cases the government’s advice had changed to encourage people to work from home where possible for the foreseeable future.

Many Financial Planning and wealth management firms had begun to return staff to the office in early September in line with government advice to do so.

While many are working from home, some firms have said they will continue with some office working. Among the banks Barclays said it would now encourage most staff to work from home but other banks and financial institutions said they would use a mixture of home and office working.

The FCA has updated its advice on key workers and senior managers who may need to work from an office. The advice can be found here: identifying key workers and the responsibilities of senior managers.