Packed city centre offices may be a thing of the past, says Barclays CEO

Social distancing rules will limit how many workers can return and impose restrictions, such as limiting elevators to two people at a time, Staley said

The coronavirus pandemic could permanently change how many bankers make the daily trudge into tightly packed city centre offices, Barclays CEO Jes Staley said on Wednesday.

The bank, which like companies worldwide has seen the majority of its staff work from home or backup sites, will not revert fully to its pre-January working habits, Staley said.

"There will be a long-term adjustment in how we think about our location strategy...the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past," he told reporters after the bank reported a fall in first-quarter profits.

Staff including investment bankers could work