Banks Eye Ditching Real Estate With Workers Wanting to Stay Home
> Survey finds 61% of bank executives don’t expect everyone back
> Traders say they miss informal dialogue and idea sharing
July 21, 2020 | Jennifer Surane | Bloomberg
U.S. bankers are planning to cut back on real estate to prepare for a world in which fewer workers make a daily commute to the office.
Roughly 61% of bank executives surveyed by Accenture Plc said they don’t expect all of their employees to be called back to the office, and more than 40% said they plan to reduce their real estate footprint as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and their new workforce strategies.
Many financial-services firms are considering a hybrid model in which employees come to the office three days a week and work from home the other two, according to Laurie McGraw, head of Accenture’s capital-markets practice in North America.
