Goldman Sachs has told its global workforce that it is time to come back to the office on a part-time basis as it kicks off the next stage of its returning to work plan.
In a memo sent by chief executive David Solomon, staff have been told that the bank has moved into the next phase of its plans and so over the coming weeks they could be put on team rotations in the office so that everyone “has an opportunity to come in to their office”.
“This rotational approach will not look the same for everyone, as we each navigate unique personal responsibilities – for example, planning around adjusted school schedules, managing personal and family health conditions, and not being comfortable commuting to the office during peak hours,” the memo read.
It acknowledged that while many communities were making headway in managing the pandemic, not all locations were at the same stage. “For some of our other offices, such as Bengaluru, we continue to assess external conditions for community readiness,” the memo said.
The move comes days after it emerged that bankers at Goldman’s closest rival JP Morgan were told they could work a “week on, week off” pattern in the office in order to get staff back to their desks while preventing the spread of coronavirus. A number of City firms, including Schroders, JP Morgan and Linklaters, have called time on the daily commute by allowing staff to permanently split their time between home and the office.
Goldman Sachs is still debating whether to order antibody tests for City staff months after Ashok Varadhan, its trading co-head, said earlier this year that it was being considered as a way to get employees back to work. JP Morgan is offering private at-home tests to all UK staff.