Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Tuesday, Mar 03, 2026

'We need to get Monday back' and get people in the office earlier in the week, says the CEO of the world's largest insurance marketplace

'We need to get Monday back' and get people in the office earlier in the week, says the CEO of the world's largest insurance marketplace

John Neal was talking to the FT about getting brokers and underwriters back on Lloyd's trading floor earlier in the week.
Corporate leaders who are desperately trying to get their employees back to the office are finding that it's still hard to get people to show up on Mondays.

"Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are busy," John Neal, CEO of the world's largest insurance marketplace Lloyd's of London, told the Financial Times in an interview published Wednesday.

"We need to get Monday back," Neal told the media outlet, summing up a challenge in getting employees back to the office at the start of the week.

He was talking about getting brokers and underwriters back on Lloyd's trading floor — where deals for specialist insurance policies — such as marine insurance and body parts insurance — are struck.

It's not the first time Neal is calling for a return to the office after employees were in a prolonged remote working situation during the pandemic.

"I think it's massively important for younger workers to experience in-person trading," Neal had told The Telegraph in September 2021. "We have the best talent in the world in London in the insurance industry, but we need to be with that talent to help develop them so the next generation can be better than my generation. We have a responsibility to the next generation," he added, per the UK-based newspaper.

A Lloyd's spokesperson told Insider it needs both a "thriving physical space" and a fully integrated digital offering for the marketplace of the future it's building.

Corporate leaders across the board are now pushing back against remote work, with some echoing Neal's sentiment that the arrangement isn't ideal for the development of young workers, because they hurt their opportunities for learning, socializing, and networking.

David Solomon, Goldman Sachs CEO, who once called remote work "an aberration," told CNBC in October 2022 it was especially important for younger employees to show up in the office. "We have an organization where 50% of the people are in their 20s. They come to Goldman Sachs to learn, to meet people, to interact," he told the broadcaster.

"It doesn't work for young kids, it doesn't work for spontaneity, it doesn't really work for management," JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC's Squawk Box on January 19.

Other high-profile executives who want their employees back in the office include Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

While Lloyd's Neal may have been referring to employees in the UK, the experience across the Atlantic is similar.

Office occupancy across 10 metro cities in the US peaked at an average of 58% on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and was just over 50% on Thursdays in February — far leading the occupancy rates of 46% and about 30% for Mondays and Fridays, Kastle Systems, an office security firm, said in a March 6 report.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Western Navies Sound Alarm as Russian Shadow Tankers Transit NATO Waters in Defiance of Sanctions
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Imola Emerges as Standby Venue if Bahrain or Saudi Arabia Grands Prix Are Cancelled
Uncertainty Clouds $24 Billion Gulf Investment Linked to Paramount–WBD Deal
Middle East Strikes Disrupt Qatar LNG, Saudi Refining and Israeli Energy Fields
Gulf States Signal Possible Collective Action Over Iran’s Escalating Strikes
Saudi Arabia Summons Iranian Ambassador After Cross-Border Attacks
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drones Targeting Ras Tanura Oil Refinery as Conflict Escalates
Saudi Arabia Clarifies It Supported Diplomacy With Iran, Not Military Escalation
Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Confer on Escalating Iran Crisis
Drone Strike Forces Shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s Largest Oil Refinery
Saudi Arabia Signals Harder Line on Iran as Regional Conflict Deepens
Strikes in Qatar and Saudi Arabia Pull Energy Infrastructure Deeper Into Expanding Middle East Conflict
U.S. and Israel Intensify Strikes on Iran as Conflict Expands to Lebanon and Gulf States
Violent Pro-Iranian Protesters Storm U.S. Consulate in Karachi
Missile Debris Sparks Fires at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port Near Palm Jumeirah
Iran Strikes U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain Amid Wider Gulf Retaliation
Emerging Saudi–Turkish Alignment Draws Attention as Potential Strategic Challenge for Israel
Saudi Arabia Unveils $100 Billion Technology Investment Fund to Accelerate Post-Oil Diversification
Saudi Arabia Reaffirms Firm Commitment to Two-State Solution in Renewed Diplomatic Push
Saudi Arabia Launches Central Kitchen in Gaza to Deliver 24,000 Meals a Day
Saudi Arabia Announces $346 Million Support Package for Yemen in Renewed Humanitarian Push
Saudi Investors Increase US Equity Exposure Amid Domestic Market Weakness
Saudi Arabia Unveils Major Desert Gas Development in Strategic Shift Toward Diversified Energy Growth
Satellite Images Indicate Increased Aircraft Presence at Saudi Airbase Hosting US Forces
Telephone Diplomacy Sparks Tensions Between Two Key US Allies After Trump Intervention
Asian LPG Prices Surge After Damage Forces Saudi Aramco Export Disruptions
Saudi Arabia Unveils $100 Billion AI Infrastructure Fund to Challenge US and China
Saudi Stocks Close Lower as Tadawul All Share Index Falls 1.28 Percent
Saudi Arabia Launches Smart Mapping System to Enhance Pilgrim Experience at Holy Sites
Cristiano Ronaldo Acquires 25 Percent Stake in Saudi-Owned Spanish Club Almería
U.S.–Saudi Relations Balance Transactional Deal-Making with Expanding Strategic Ambitions
Israel’s President Herzog Signals Cautious Message on Saudi Ties at UAE Iftar in Tel Aviv
United States and Saudi Arabia Strengthen Security Ties with Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Exercise
Saudi Arabia Responds to Israel–UAE Moves in Somalia as Regional Rivalries Intensify
Saudi Arabia Showcases Expanding Defense Ambitions at World Defense Show 2026
SECRETARY RUBIO on IRAN: Iran poses a very great threat to the United States, and has for a very long time.
Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from Harvard University as fallout continues over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining about six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 adding eight-tenths of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing roughly one-and-a-quarter percent.
Nvidia posted better than expected results for the January quarter on Wednesday and forecast current quarter revenue above market estimates.
Saudi Arabia’s Coffee Renaissance Gains Momentum as Investment and Heritage Drive Industry Growth
Saudi Shipping Leader Bahri Expands Fleet as Tanker Rates Approach $200,000 a Day
Saudi Arabia Advances First National Urban Policy Through High-Level Leadership and Institutional Alliances
Major Life Sciences Summits to Spotlight Saudi Arabia’s Rise as Regional Biotech and Pharma Hub
Saudi Arabia Reframes Red Sea and Horn of Africa Strategy Amid Rising Security and Trade Stakes
Saudi Arabia Recalibrates Its Role in Shifting Regional and Global Power Dynamics
Saudi Retail Signals to Global Brands: Localise or Lose Ground in a Rapidly Evolving Market
Saudi Arabia Looks to Human Capital Investment to Unlock Demographic Dividend
Saudi Arabia and Iran Increase Oil Exports Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Saudi Data Protection Authority Intensifies Enforcement Under Personal Data Law
×