JPMorgan tells some UK staff to keep coming to the office

JP Morgan has told staff who have returned to the office to keep coming in, despite a new Government call to work from home.

In a memo sent to its 19,000 UK workers late on Wednesday night, the Wall Street bank said that following new government guidance to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, it would halt plans to bring more people back to the office but did not say it would be sending people home.

Staff were told: “Whatever your established working pattern, you should continue to follow the direction you have been given by your management team and listen out for any potential changes.”

The note suggests the bank is taking a different tack to may City rivals, which have told workers to be more cautious following advice that office staff should work from home if they can.

Rather than ordering all staff who can work from home to return to logging on from their living rooms the bank has allowed each team in the business to assess its needs individually, “taking into account government guidance”.

It is understood that team managers will tell staff of any changes to working arrangements in coming days.

The Wall Street bank, which employs about 12,000 people in London and also has offices in Bournemouth, has been bringing workers back to the office in a three tier system.

Employees in tier one - such as traders - can do their jobs more effectively in the office and returned first.

The majority of workers are still at home, but some back office staff who were part of the third lowest priority group, have begun to spend some time in the office on a rotational basis.

JP Morgan's guidance suggests that at least some of those employees could continue to spend part of their week in the office despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plea for office workers to stay home if possible.

The bank has placed more than 31,000 stickers around its offices to direct staff and ensure social distancing rules are observed.

Its offices will remain open “on an ad-hoc basis” to staff who are working from home full time if they need to come in.

Extra cleaning and temperature checks will remain in place to protect those who do come to work and staff should raise any concerns with their manager, the memo said.

JP Morgan declined to comment.

While many City firms such as PwC and HSBC have halted drives to bring people back, others have taken a more flexible approach.

Citigroup told London workers to “exercise their own judgment” on whether they need to come to the office.

Lloyd’s of London, the insurance market, sent its own staff home but is keeping its underwriting room open so that insurers and brokers can negotiate face-to-face. The market moved entirely online during lockdown.