Toronto-Dominion Bank expects most of its staff will continue to work remotely until 2022, pushing back plans for a broader return to offices as the Delta variant of COVID-19 creates new public-health challenges.
The bank also told employees in an internal memo on Wednesday that it has opened a mandatory vaccination registry and is requiring all staff to upload their status – with proof – by Oct. 1.
Last month, TD announced that employees must either be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1, or undergo regular rapid testing, a mandatory education program about the benefits of vaccination and wear a mask at all times at work. All six of the country’s largest banks have introduced some form of vaccination requirement, with accommodations for some staff.
“We believe vaccination is the best path out of this pandemic and TD’s position is in support of global efforts to get more people vaccinated, particularly as we see increased infection rates related to the Delta variant,” wrote Kenn Lalonde, TD’s chief human resources officer, in the memo.
Some TD staff are already working at branches, offices and data centres, including some traders. “For most other colleagues, while we don’t currently expect a broader return to TD locations before calendar 2022, we are monitoring the evolving situation and will update you when we have new information to share,” Mr. Lalonde said in the memo.
Though some U.S. banks have been quick to call employees back to offices, Canadian banks have taken a more cautious approach. As the pandemic drags on, the bank has repeatedly pushed back guidance about its earliest expected date for a widespread return to offices, from January, 2021, to the spring, then summer this year and now into next year.
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