JPMorgan Chase Co. told employees in New York that they must work from home starting Tuesday.
The bank had previously allowed unvaccinated staff to work in its Manhattan offices if they were tested twice a week. They had already limited their ability to travel and attend meetings, either internally or with clients. They had said they would bear some of the costs by paying higher healthcare costs in 2022.
The bank s Return to the Office Task Force said Monday that we agree with health authorities that vaccination against Covid 19 is the best way to keep our loved ones safe, especially as we face the winter months and a new variant.
Kathy Hochul said Friday that New Yorkers must wear masks in public indoor places unless those places require people to be vaccinated against Covid - 19. The requirement went into effect on Monday.
On Tuesday, JPMorgan began requiring all employees and visitors to enter its New York office buildings with proof of vaccination, a move that other banks had taken before.
The bank is studying other solutions to deal with the state order and the work from home order is considered temporary.
The mask requirements for vaccinated employees in the New York corporate offices were relaxed by JPMorgan.
The bank said in the memo that it was unfair for our vaccinated employees to wear masks all day at their desks. More than 90% of the JPMorgan staff in Manhattan are vaccinated, according to the memo.
The memo was previously reported by Reuters.
JPMorgan, the largest bank in the U.S., told workers this summer they needed to come back to the office, because they had taken a hard-line approach to curtailing work from home. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said that remote work doesn't make sense for clients or employees.
The Omicron variant has muddled the picture for many companies. In recent days, companies as varied as Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc., Ford Motor Co. and Inc. have delayed return-to- office dates or given employees the option to stay home longer.