Goldman asks most London staff to work from home

Bloomberg

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has informed staff that only ‘in-office essential’ employees can work from its London office after Boris Johnson announced a new nationwide lockdown to arrest an accelerating second wave of the virus.
Goldman has told the vast majority of its more than 5,000 London employees to work from home from November 5, with only essential workers permitted to come to its Plumtree Court building, according to an internal memo by Richard Gnodde, the bank’s international head.
Each division’s management will determine who falls into the ‘essential’ category, according to the memo. Goldman is closing its office gym starting today, but showers and changing rooms will remain open for commuters. The on-site health center and nursery will remain open to support those coming to the office.
Prime Minister Johnson has proposed a fresh lockdown from Thursday, with most shops closing and people being asked to work from home to stop virus cases overwhelming hospitals.
Goldman, along with other banks, had already paused efforts to bring staff back to the office in September when the UK government urged people to work from home if they can. The Wall Street bank had returned about 20% of staff at that time to Plumtree Court, its new European headquarters that opened just over a year ago.