Mastercard Encouraging Staff to Begin Return to New York Offices

(Bloomberg) -- Mastercard Inc. is encouraging its staff to begin returning to its New York-area offices, joining other large employers seeking to bring workers back after months at home.

Mastercard’s work spaces have been reconfigured to allow for social distancing, and the company is performing temperature checks and providing contact-tracing services, Seth Eisen, a spokesman for the company, said in an email. Corporate culture and the process of bringing new employees on board benefit from face-to-face interactions, he said.

“Finding the right way to reach that end-stage is what we are doing by encouraging our people to come back to office, with appropriate precautions, so that we can keep our business moving forward,” Eisen said.

Mastercard, based in Purchase, New York, joins other large companies such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. in seeking to increase the number of staff working in offices. Mastercard Chief Executive Officer Ajay Banga was one of 160 business leaders who signed a letter to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio arguing that workers would be slow to return unless the city alleviates concerns about the “security and the livability” of their communities.

Mastercard, which has about 18,600 employees globally, has pledged to triple its presence in New York City. It’s set to add almost 500 workers by 2024 as it takes over 150 Fifth Ave. in the Flatiron District.

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