Over 1,200 employees from HSBC’s call centres across England, Wales and Scotland will be working from home permanently. This is one of the steps taken by the Bank to cut costs. About 70 per cent of HSBC’s call centre staff had volunteered for remote working. These employees will have to visit the offices only for training.
The Bank is discussing ways of offering flexibility to its employees without compromising the needs of its customers. According to the British employees’ union, Unite, HSBC will offer its staff an amount of £300 or $414.75 per annum to cover the expenses associated with working from home, such as heating facilities and electricity bills.
A quarter of the workforce has not accepted the WFH arrangement, as they wish to work from the office at least for a little while. About 5 per cent wish to return to working from office permanently.
HSBC’s call centre in Swansea, South Wales has already been closed during the pandemic. Many British banks have begun to cut down on office space as employees are working from home. Since this move is voluntary, Unite is supportive of the same.
Meanwhile, at JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, employees at the London offices are increasingly returning to work from their physical offices. Last week, it is reported that about 15 per cent of the staff at JP Morgan reported for work at their offices. That means, almost 1,800 people returned to working from their physical offices. On the other hand, at Goldman Sachs, almost 20 per cent of the 6,000-strong workforce is expected to return to work in the coming weeks.
