Jefferies Delays Return to Office Until Jan. 31 Amid Covid Surge

(Bloomberg) -- Jefferies Financial Group Inc. is asking its employees to work from home until at least Jan. 31 as the rise in Covid cases continues at the start of the new year.

“As we have done since the onset, we will be adapting real time to reality and direction, and will communicate to you quickly and transparently any changes in our thinking,” Chief Executive Officer Richard Handler said in an Instagram story Monday. Handler added he doesn't want Jefferies to host indoor events of any kind, and believes “only the most critical business travel should occur.”

A surge in Covid-19 increases worldwide amid the rise of the highly contagious omicron variant has led Wall Street firms and other companies to rethink their return-to-office plans. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. are all encouraging staff to work from home in the opening weeks of 2022.

Read more: Goldman Backtracks on Return-to-Office as Omicron Surges

Jefferies, based in New York, last month asked staff to work from home amid a rise in Covid-19 cases among its employees, and told those eligible for a vaccine booster to get one by the end of January. Handler himself self-quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19 in early December. 

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