Bank of Canada to let staff clock in up to half their hours from home

(Reuters) - The Bank of Canada will allow most of its staff to clock in up to half their hours remotely once public health guidelines allow it to fully reopen offices, a spokesperson for the central bank said on Friday.

The bank expects to bring back many employees to offices after the summer, but it does not see conditions returning to normal until 2022, a Bloomberg News report said. https://bloom.bg/3zrE0TH

Only a limited number of its employees are currently working from their Ottawa offices, according to the report.

The news comes a week after Royal Bank of Canada, the country's largest lender, said it was exploring a flexible and hybrid work arrangement to bring its employees back to the office.

COVID-19 infections in Canada have reduced significantly in recent months and provinces are reopening for business after pandemic-induced lockdowns forced them shut.

More than 62% of the country's population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a Reuters tally, assuming every person needs at least two doses.

Major banks in the United States have also revealed plans of adopting different methods to bring employees back to the office.

(Reporting by Sohini Podder in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)