Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.’s new hybrid work model in its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region gives its staff plenty of say over how they will return to the office.

The Japanese lender said it will leave it up to employees and their managers to "establish their own personal rhythms of home and office work,” according to a statement Tuesday. It will continue to monitor COVID-19 data and trends to inform decisions as to when staff can return in accordance with local requirements and government guidelines.

"This non-prescriptive approach will enable our employees to adapt to a working style which best fits their personal circumstances,” said John Gerard Williams, Chief Human Resources Officer for EMEA at MUFG.

At the peak of the pandemic, about 98% of MUFG’s workforce was working remotely.

An MUFG executive said in April that it anticipates that roughly 25% of workers in the Americas will be fully remote after the pandemic and another quarter will come into the office every day. The rest will probably stay home some of the time and operate from a shared desk when they do go into the office.

Banks are taking a variety of approaches as they prepare for a post-pandemic world. Lloyds Banking Group PLC and HSBC Holdings PLC are among those to have cut office space in the United Kingdom as staff move permanently to flexible working, with HSBC exiting or downsizing its presence in 77 buildings since January last year. Firms including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have emphasized the importance of a return to the office.