AmEx Delays Employees’ Return to Office Until at Least Oct. 11
AmEx Delays Employees’ Return to Office Until at Least Oct. 11
(Bloomberg) -- American Express Co. postponed the full return of workers to its offices until at least Oct. 11, joining a growing number of firms taking a more cautious approach as a new wave of coronavirus cases washes over the U.S.
“We have been watching with increasing concern the resurgence of Covid-19 cases across the U.S. due to the rapid spread of the delta variant,” Chief Executive Officer Steve Squeri said in a memo Tuesday to the credit-card giant’s workers. “We are now at the point where the data indicates that the most prudent course of action is to delay the full opening of our U.S. offices.”
Several Wall Street firms have been pulling back from return-to-office plans or instituting new requirements before allowing workers in. Citigroup Inc. on Tuesday told employees in the New York area and several other major U.S. cities that they must be vaccinated against Covid-19 before coming back to the bank’s offices.
AmEx said in June it would begin inviting more staff back on Sept. 13, with plans to fully adopt a new hybrid schedule the week of Oct. 4. Squeri said in Tuesday’s memo that he’s prepared to postpone the return again should the situation worsen.
U.S. offices will continue to be open for workers who want to come in or can’t work effectively at home, according to the memo. The New York-based company has about 64,000 employees worldwide.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.