Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has decided to allow most of its employees to keep working from home through 2021, Reuters reported.
In an internal memo, RBC chief human resources officer Helena Gottschling said: “Plans may vary across businesses and functions depending on the nature of the work.
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“We will be flexible wherever possible and our focus on employee health, safety and well-being remains consistent.”
RBC extended its work from home plans after Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank) and Bank of Nova Scotia asked the majority of their staff to continue working from home.
However, in the memo, RBC also noted that a “very small number” of its staff in the greater Toronto area may return to workplaces in September 2020.
Gottschling said that the bank will provide at least four weeks’ notice to employees before they return to offices.
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By GlobalDataIn the UK, Barclays boss Jes Staley also urged its employees working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic to return to offices.
Staley said that as many as 60,000 employees have been “working from their kitchen tables”; however, another 20,000 employees have been working in branches and call centers.
Meanwhile, HSBC asked its employees in the UK not to return to the office until at least September 2020.
HSBC said that it currently has a small number of key workers at its offices and does not plan to bring in additional staff before September.
