(Bloomberg)-Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc. Banks include those that have told London employees to go back to their desks after the UK dropped its work-from-home guidance.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Goldman employees are being asked to return in line with the government’s announcement on Wednesday. Citigroup has emailed its employees in London asking them to attend office at least three days a week.
EMEA chief executive David Livingstone and UK chief James Bardrick said in an email to staff: “We are now free to congregate in our offices without restriction, where we are able to create energy and a collaborative spirit. on which the city thrives.” Late Wednesday night and seen by Bloomberg.
Fidelity International CEO Anne Richards and Standard Chartered plc chairman Jose Vinals both said on Bloomberg television on Thursday that their companies are encouraging UK employees to return to their offices.
“We would encourage more people to come into the office,” Richards said. “I look forward to being physically back at the office from next week.”
The move comes after the government announced on Wednesday that most Covid-19 restrictions in England were being lifted in the coming days, including asking people to work from home. PricewaterhouseCoopers UK president Kevin Ellis is another executive welcoming the change, saying he expects a faster return to office than last time, when it took his firm two months to return to office at 80% capacity. Started.
“We are now expecting a rapid boom,” he said in an emailed statement on Thursday. “People know the drill — and that’s good news for small businesses and city centers that rely on office workers.”
Citi’s email said the US lender continues to act resilient, saying its protective measures remain in place, including its lateral flow COVID testing program and continuing to test employees every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. needed. The rules regarding face coverings also remain in place and employees must continue to wear it while using the lifts.
The person said that mandatory testing and wearing of masks will continue in Goldman’s building.
In December, banks from Citi to Deutsche Bank AG to JPMorgan Chase & Co told employees to work from home where possible, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson tightened pandemic rules to stem the spread of the Omicron version. started doing Even before the rules came in, fears about the variant meant that some city workers were increasingly staying away.
Johnson said on Wednesday that such restrictions were being lifted, although people would still be encouraged to wear face coverings in “crowded, enclosed” areas. “We will rely on the concept of the British people.”
– With the assistance of Loukia Gaftopoulou and Harry Wilson.
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