Goldman Sachs Group Inc is encouraging its eligible US staff to work from home until Jan. 18, said a spokesman for the company, the latest in its industry to alter its return-to-office plans amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
Goldman offices will remain open with previously announced Covid-19 security protocols, the spokesperson added.
These measures are: vaccination and booster requirement for all eligible populations as of February 1, biweekly tests from January 10 and mandatory masks.
Financial firms have been struggling to know when they can get back to normal, and how to communicate to staff and retain workers amid the uncertainty. Other banks have asked their staff to telecommute due to the latest surge in cases.
Goldman was one of the Wall Street banks that had pushed the hardest for a return to offices, and it had been the last to try to keep most of its staff working in person during the Omicron surge.
JPMorgan Chase & Co, who was also among those pushing for staff to work in his offices, told his employees last week that they could work from home for the first two weeks of January.
However, he indicated in the memorandum to employees that all staff are expected to return to the offices no later than February 1.
Citigroup also asked its employees to work from home during the first weeks of 2022, a spokesperson confirmed late last month.