Bank of America has instituted a strict return to office policy for employees that threatens “disciplinary action” to those who don’t comply, according to documents seen by the Financial Times.
The company reportedly sent “letters of education” to workers who have not been coming into the office to warn them that they could face trouble in a matter of weeks should their behavior not change.
“Failure to follow the workplace excellence expectations applicable to your role within two weeks of the date of this notification may result in further disciplinary action,” one of the letters said, according to the Financial Times.
According to Insider, the bank began sending letters at the end of last year, and most employees who receive one will have received some initial warning before the formal document.
Bank of America requires most employees to come into the office at least three days a week, a policy it implemented in October 2022. Employees in client-facing roles are encouraged to return to the office five days a week.
“You are receiving a letter of education for failure to follow the minimum expectation regarding your work location set by the Workplace Excellence Guidelines despite requests and reminders to do so,” a letter allegedly posted by a Bank of America employee said. “You are expected to adhere to all expectations of your role. Failure to meet expectations of your role in the future may result in further action.”
Bank of America currently employs an estimated 160,000 people.
The bank isn’t the first to crack down on in-office policies among employees.
This summer, Goldman Sachs reportedly told employees they needed to be in the office five days a week. However, the bank claimed it was “simply reminding our employees of our existing policy” when asked about the protocol.
Bank of America was down just over 5.3% in a one-year period as of Friday afternoon.
Related: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Cracks Down on Return to Office Policy
