Fidelity requiring full-time office return for thousands of US workers

Fidelity Investments is ending its hybrid work arrangement for a large portion of its US workforce, telling employees at four locations they will need to be in the office five days a week beginning this September.

The marks a significant departure from the current schedule, which has allowed employees to work remotely for up to half of each month.

The mandate covers all Boston-based staff – about 6,200 people – along with employees at Fidelity hubs in Merrimack, N.H., Covington, Ky., and Albuquerque, N.M.

Workers in phone-based customer service roles are exempt. People managers at the vice president level and above will also be required to return full-time in September, regardless of location, including senior staff in India and Ireland.

"Fidelity's belief is that being physically together creates more opportunities for a meaningful associate experience filled with connection, mentorship, and learning," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

As per Bloomberg, the announcement comes as Fidelity prepares to open a major new campus at Commonwealth Pier in Boston's Seaport District – a harbor development more than five years in the making, featuring roughly 650,000 square feet of office space along with retail and a public plaza. The first employees are expected to move in later this summer.

To accommodate the increased daily headcount, Fidelity reversed plans to lease its existing 800,000-square-foot headquarters near South Station. The firm will instead retain both that building and the new Seaport facility.

The decision offers a measure of relief to downtown Boston, where nearly one-quarter of office space is currently available for rent and foot traffic has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. City data shows Fidelity has grown its local headcount by 24% since 2016.

Fidelity, which oversaw $7.1 trillion in assets at the end of 2025, has been slower than many of its financial-services peers to scale back remote-work accommodations. Last year, JPMorgan told its entire global workforce to return five days a week.

Read more: ''I emoted a little bit': JPMorgan's Dimon owns remote-work blowup, stands firm on RTO

Boston-area firms State Street and Wellington Management currently require employees to be in the office four days a week – making Fidelity's prior two-weeks-per-month policy comparatively more draconian.

The new policy does not immediately apply to employees in North Carolina and Rhode Island. Fidelity said it is looking to expand capacity in those markets before implementing a full return-to-office requirement there.

The announcement drew a sharp response from readers of Boston.com, where more than 550 people weighed in. About 69% said they opposed the mandate, with many citing commuting costs, work-life balance, and the risk of employee turnover.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey offered a measured reaction, telling the news outlet that Fidelity has been "a strong partner in Boston's growth" and describing the company's approach as one that "keeps employees and customers first." She noted that more workers coming downtown could help local businesses and boost foot traffic.

For its part, Fidelity said it intends to continue hiring and expanding its physical footprint across regions.

"Fidelity is continuously evolving its ways of working and physical footprint, including plans to continue hiring and increase capacity across our regions to ensure we provide the best products and services for our customers," the company told Boston.com.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misrepresented the scope of employees covered by Fidelitys return-to-office order, and incorrectly implied that the company does not own its South Station headquarters. A representative from Fidelity has clarified those details; we regret the error.