RBS tells 50,000 employees to work from home until next year
Royal Bank of Scotland has reportedly told more than 50,000 staff to work from home until 2021.
It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government’s advice to work from home would be dropped next month in a bid to stimulate the economy. He said employers would have “more discretion” about where staff should work.
In a memo first seen by the Times, the bank said the majority of its 63,000 employees would continue to work remotely until next year. In May, RBS said the “significant majority” of staff would continue to work from home until “at least the end of September” when it would be then be reviewed.
On Friday the PM said the government’s advice on working from home would change from 1 August. “Instead of government telling people to work from home, we’re going to give employers more discretion and ask them to make decisions about how their staff can work safely,” he said. “It is up to employers to decide whether they think the time has come for them to be more productive in a place of work for a greater portion of the week.”
An RBS spokesperson told City PM: “Our priority during the coronavirus pandemic has been to look after the safety and wellbeing of our customers and colleagues.”
“In May we shared that the vast majority of colleagues working from home would continue to do so until at least the end of September. Today we’re confirming that this will remain the case into 2021.”
“Like we’ve done throughout the pandemic the decision has been made carefully, including considering the latest guidance from the UK Government on Friday and our own health and safety standards and procedures. It’s a cautious approach but we feel the right one to take currently.”
“The situation and local government advice will continue to evolve and there will be differences across our jurisdictions. We’re in a fortunate position that so many of our colleagues can work from home and we feel it’s the right decision to continue doing so into 2021.”