Banco Santander Brasil has reportedly asking more of its workers to stay back home amid worsening Covid-19 pandemic situation in Brazil.
In a statement to a union, the lender said that it will further reduce team sizes at its headquarters, reported Reuters. However, the extent of cuts is immediately not clear.
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Nearly a month ago, Santander Brasil brought around 65% of its staff back to offices.
Bank workers’ union head in the Sao Paulo region Ivone Silva told the news agency: “There are no hospital beds left, so banks are sending workers back home.
“After a lot of pressure, Santander reduced the number of employees in their offices to about 30%.”
In an internal memo, the bank said that it is reducing the number of workers at offices due to the pandemic situation. It declined to comment that the step was taken due to pressure from health authorities.
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By GlobalDataSantander will also reduce working hours by one hour and close some of its branches temporarily to contain the spread of the disease.
Notably, Brazil is one of the worst affected countries by the ongoing pandemic reporting more than 12.5 million confirmed cases and around 312,000 deaths.
Several other financial institutions in Brazil have also suspended plans to increase staff at offices.
With more than 450,000 people working in the financial sector, banks are among the largest employers in the South American nation.
