The bank CEO stands out from the pack in the office. He goes in 4 days a week but leaves the rest to the “adults” with which he works

In a recent interview with Bloomberg Television, Winters was unequivocal: “We work with adults, and adults can have an adult conversation with other adults and decide how they will better manage their team.” He stressed that the approach is “to work for us”, adding: “How do other companies make it work? Everyone has their own recipe ”. For Standard Charted, this recipe is rooted in flexibility, allowing teams and managers to agree on current hours that correspond to their commercial needs and their personal lives.

Winters, who himself follows a hybrid calendar and aims to be in the office four days a week, says that his approach consists in promoting responsibility. “Our MDS want to come to the office. They come to the office because they collaborate. They manage their people. They lead teams. But if they need flexibility, they can get it,” he said. This intermediate position has helped the bank to keep talents, to maintain low attrition and, according to Winters, to maintain a productive workforce which manages to provide results in a post-pandemic landscape.

Standard Chartered’s performance is booming at the moment. In the second quarter of 2025, the bank declared a leap of 48% of the profit before tax – the performance winters indicate the validation of the flexible model. When calling the second quarter winnings with analysts, Winters commented on solid results, claiming that they “testify to our ability to provide exceptional services to support the needs of our customers, and it is clear that our strategy works”.

A bank unlike others

The flexible policy of the bank contrasts with an increasing wave of office mandates of industry competitors. JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and HSBC have all tightened the office attendance requirements in the past year. JPMorgan CEO, Jamie Dimon, criticized the work remotely to slow down decision -making and inhibit innovation, recently ordered most employees to return to the full -time office. The CEO of Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, also rejected the work remotely as “not a new normal”, but an “aberration that we will correct as quickly as possible”. HSBC, too, recently ordered its general directors to return to the office at least four days a week.

Other banks, such as Citi, remain more flexible, but always require at least three days of office attendance, while offering hybrid employees define windows for remote work. The trend in many sectors, including technology and telecommunications, is towards more strict current requirements, with certain large employers warning that the work remotely in progress could endanger jobs.

Despite these pressures, Standard Charterd is good. Bank’s winters and leaders remain vocal in their conviction that flexibility works – cite solid commercial results, low attrition and positive comments of employees, in particular those who balance care responsibilities or prefer non -traditional hours. The company was among the first major banks to officially adopt hybrid work in November 2020 and showed little desire to change course, even if the feeling of industry changes.

Companies that remain remotely or flexible working hours say that this leads to a better talent basin, less turnover and a happier workplace, while criticisms say that it is corrosive for the human element that goes with excellent teamwork. Winters rejects these concerns. He insists that with the right leadership, the teams remain collaborative and committed, and that forcing staff in rigid mussels can actually bother, rather than helping, performance.

While Wall Street and other sectors debate the future of work, the approach to Standard Charterd offers a convincing case study in value – and commercial logic – to allow employees to find their own balance.

Standard Chartered did not respond to a request for comments.

For this story, Fortune Used a generative AI to help an initial project. An editor checked the accuracy of the information before the publication.