Goldman Sachs asks US employees to work from home until 18th

NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs Group Inc is encouraging its eligible U.S. staff to work from home until Jan. 18, a company spokesperson said, as it followed a number of its rivals in altering return-to-office plans as the Omicron variant spreads.

Goldman’s offices will continue to remain open with previously announced COVID-19 safety protocols, the spokesperson added. Those measures are: a vaccine requirement, booster requirement for all eligible populations effective Feb. 1, bi-weekly testing effective Jan. 10, and mandatory masks.

Financial firms have been grappling with when they can realistically get back to business-as-usual, and how to communicate to staff and retain workers amid the uncertainty. A number of other banks had asked staff to work remotely due to the latest surge in cases.

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Goldman was among the Wall Street banks that had pushed hardest to bring staff back into offices. Since August, the bank has required vaccinations for all staff and visitors entering its offices in the United States, and staff received COVID tests onsite once a week.