Workplace management

The outbreak has completely upended whatever expectations the industry had heading into 2020. Here's key areas that have been shaped by the pandemic, some potentially forever.

Banks are beginning to emphasize soft skills to help employees make “human” connections with customers in an environment of reduced face-to-face contact.

Some of the industry’s biggest institutions intend to keep a significant portion of their staff working from home indefinitely. That’s raising new questions about organizational cultures and how to appropriately utilize credit union facilities.

Prior to the outbreak, members were banned from covering their faces inside branches for security reasons. Now institutions must devise ways to keep everyone healthy and safe.

Demand has soared for mental health services as bank employees put in long hours, supervise kids while working at home and endure personal crises. Citi, BofA, Fifth Third and others are getting creative to help them decompress during the pandemic.

With the pandemic fueling anxiety about public transportation and dense urban offices, financial firms in Manhattan are looking elsewhere for space to let workers spread out and avoid commuting into the city.

Some staff will be sitting at different desks, and in some cases different floors, when they return to work, according to the memo sent to employees Wednesday.

The memo from CEO Michael Corbat acknowledged the challenges many employees have faced working remotely during the coronavirus outbreak while taking care of family members and home-schooling their children.

Employees want to work for organizations that focus on a number of areas, such as diversity, flexibility and professional development. Credit unions that don't prioritize this beware.

The lender’s offices in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. will remain shut to all nonessential staff at least through the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 7, CEO Richard Fairbank wrote in an internal memo.