Goldman Sachs asks employees to work from home as Omicron surges

Goldman Sachs has asked employees, who have been working in-office since June 2021, to work from home until Jan. 18.
REUTERS

Goldman Sachs will ask employees to work from home until Jan. 18 as the omicron variant surges across the country, according to a memo sent to workers that was obtained by The Post.

Offices will remain open, but employees will be encouraged to not show up for in-person work — although if they do, safety protocols will be in place, including a mask requirement.

Goldman had been among the more aggressive big banks when it comes to back-to-work policies, originally bringing back workers to US officers last June.

Just this October, CEO David Solomon was beating the back-to-work drum at a Los Angeles conference, saying an in-person culture is critical for the way the bank does business.

But Omicron, which has been rising rapidly across the US, has changed the calculus of returning back to the office — or remaining there: The variant is thought to be more contagious than past strains, though most people who get sick don’t seem to have illnesses that are severe as some past variants, according to initial reports.

Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon has said working from home is “an aberration that we are going to correct as quickly as possible.”

Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US’s top COVID adviser, said last week that Omicron cases would likely peak in the US by the end of January.

At Goldman, vaccines and boosters will be required for all eligible populations by Feb. 1 and bi-weekly testing come into place on Jan. 10.

The memo didn’t say when people would be called back to work after Jan. 18, but a spokeswoman emphasized the company still is eager to have its workforce working in-person.