Scotiabank is bringing many of its corporate employees back to the office at least four days a week starting this September, reinforcing a post-pandemic push to rebuild in-person culture and collaboration.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the change was outlined in an internal memo sent last week to Canadian banking employees in the Greater Toronto Area. The memo wasn’t sent to branch workers, who have continued working onsite full time throughout the pandemic.
Teams with enough office space will be expected to return four or more days weekly. Departments limited by space will start with three days, with plans to increase over time.
Read: 32% of U.S. managers say return to office was to keep track of employees’ work habits: survey
“We know having our teams working together in-person has many benefits — greater collaboration, higher engagement, more career development opportunities and a stronger culture and sense of belonging,” said spokesperson Katie Raskina, in an emailed statement to Benefits Canada. “We’re already seeing the positive impact this is having across the bank as we focus on executing on our strategy. We’ll continue to build on this impact as we bring our teams onsite more often, with the goal of reaching four days onsite across the bank over time.”
Not all employees will be affected. According to the report, staff in the global client-experience centre and Canadian banking collections teams will continue working remotely. Client-facing employees in Scotiabank’s capital markets division have already returned to the office four or more days a week.
Scotiabank’s decision follows similar return-to-office moves by other financial institutions. The Royal Bank of Canada plans to implement a four-day in-office mandate this fall and JPMorgan Chase & Co. has already reinstated full-time in-office work.
Read: 76% of Canadian employers mandating partial, full return to office: survey