UniCredit Eases Travel Ban, Starts Planning Return to Office

(Bloomberg) -- UniCredit SpA will allow essential work trips for many countries starting June 15, as it joins global rivals in cautiously allowing employees to return to pre-pandemic business practices.

The bank, led by Chief Executive Officer Jean Pierre Mustier, said that travel to and from the U.S., Brazil and Russia will remain off limits, according to a memo to staff dated June 8. Trips must be approved by a direct manager.

A spokesperson for the bank declined to comment.

UniCredit is based in Milan, at the heart of the province that became the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy. Its 4,000 staff in the Porta Nuova district are housed in three glass-and-steel skyscrapers, including Cesar Pelli’s 31-story Tower -- a challenge for social distancing.

The return of employees will gradually increase and business meetings will again be allowed on site, though subject to restrictions, according to the memo.

At UniCredit’s larger offices in Italy, about 10% of the workforce is already going to the office, for which there are temperature checks and the requirement to wear a mask.

Elevators can only be used by four people at a time and signs on the floor tell people where to wait. Workers may not leave their floors and desks can only be used on alternate days; ten times more cleaning personnel have been hired. All common areas are closed, including the facility’s internal babysitting center, gym and dining halls.

The Milanese bank isn’t alone in having to decide when and how to bring backs its thousands of staff, as infection rates drop in continental Europe. UBS Group AG and Credit Suisse Group AG will begin allowing more employees to return to their Swiss offices in June.

UniCredit’s memo laid out an updated set of “Golden Rules” to govern conduct, advising staff to avoid getting too close to others, to wash hands frequently, and to use video conferencing when possible.

It’s also looking into a reservation app and is defining internal rules to formally sanction misconducts in case of breach of rules..

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