BlackRock, the multinational investment-management corporation, has announced that it will have more than half of its workforce back in office for at least three days a week, starting November 1. The new directive will be applied to locations across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The Company intends to have its employees fully vaccinated in the US before letting them enter their offices. Further, COVID tests will be conducted every week. The move will be implemented for select locations that meet certain predetermined criteria. Split operations will not be required at these locations. However, masks at desks will be mandatory.
The announcement is a part of BlackRock’s ‘Future of Work’ pilot programme, under which the management will gauge how well staff in the US and Europe can collaborate while working from home only twice in a week. Under the plan, the Company has designated office spaces as the primary work location for its employees. Flexibility for remote operation will depend on the employees’ roles.
Rob Goldstein, chief operating officer, and Manish Mehta, HR head, BlackRock, stated in the memo that remote operation days would allow the employees to enhance their productivity and create a personal space for themselves to unleash their creativity. It also said that some businesses of the Company may require employees to be in office more frequently. BlackRock had earlier announced that its employees will have to return to office in early October, but had to delay the same because of the growing threat of the spread of the Delta variant at that time.
