AmEx Tells New York, U.K. Staff to Start Returning Next Month

(Bloomberg) -- American Express Co. is encouraging staffers in New York and the U.K. to start returning to the office early next month as Covid-19 cases recede globally.

AmEx has previously said most colleagues will work remotely at least part of the time even after the pandemic subsides. The firm asked New York staffers in those hybrid roles to begin coming back one day a week starting March 1 before a wider return on March 15, Chief Executive Officer Steve Squeri said in an internal memo Thursday seen by Bloomberg News.

“The purpose of this phased approach is to give colleagues some time to adjust to the transition of coming in after working virtually for the past two years, as well as to become familiar with some of the new technology and other changes that have been made to support our new way of working,” Squeri said in the memo.

In the U.K., employees can begin returning to the office starting March 7, according to a separate memo.

Also starting next month, staffers in New York will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and those eligible must have received a booster in order to visit or enter AmEx's offices. The New York-based company said masks will remain optional in those spaces within the building that only AmEx occupies.

The company said it expects to announce dates for other U.S. offices soon, vowing to give employees at least two weeks notice before calling them back on site.

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