Financial services workers sent home as virus spreads
Large companies, including Macquarie Group and American Express, have joined those instructing staff to work from home.
Large companies, including Macquarie Group and American Express, have joined those instructing staff to work from home as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through Australia.
Macquarie sent a memo to its 15,760 staff around the world on Tuesday, informing them of a requirement for most to work from home, starting on Wednesday.
Its offices will remain open, however, with a core group of staff continuing to work on site.
Macquarie has 6635 employees in Australia and the latest directive extends the group’s existing flexible working policy.
It comes as confirmed cases of COVID-19 swelled to more than 400 people in Australia and authorities scrambled to slow the spread of the virus.
Payments group American Express has told its Sydney employees to work from home, given heightened uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus. It said the voluntary clearout of its Barangaroo office aligned with the company’s global response to the virus.
“For our offices in Australia and New Zealand specifically, we have asked all colleagues who are able to do so to work from home,” a spokeswoman said.
American Express is implementing a rotating schedule for staff choosing to work from the office, in an attempt to limit interactions. The card provider is located on Shelley Street in Sydney, near Barangaroo’s International Towers, where a Westpac staffer tested positive for COVID-19.
American Express and Macquarie join Telstra, accounting giant EY and digital bank Xinja in requesting staff work from home, while others including PwC and HSBC have encouraged it wherever possible.
The domestic financial services sector has already been hit with several confirmed cases of the coronavirus. NAB’s Bourke Street office in Melbourne was evacuated on Tuesday after an employee returned a positive test. The building — which also houses a childcare centre — was to be “pandemically cleansed”, according to a memo sent to staff by NAB chief executive Ross McEwan.
Goldman Sachs on Monday confirmed one of its local staff had contracted the virus, prompting the 48th floor of its Sydney office to undergo a deep clean. The ASX confirmed a positive COVID-19 case, while a member of Bank of Queensland’s board has also tested positive.
Other lenders are closely monitoring the situation.
ANZ Bank is adding more staff capacity this week to allow a larger number of employees to work from home where their role allows them to do so.
Commonwealth Bank is updating its business continuity planning on the advice from the government and related agencies.
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