Royal Bank of Canada to let most staff work from home into 2021: memo

Royal Bank of Canada will allow most employees to keep working from home into 2021, although a "very small number" of staff in the greater Toronto area may return to workplaces in mid- to late- September, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.

"Plans may vary across businesses and functions depending on the nature of the work," Helena Gottschling, chief human resources officer at Canada's biggest lender, said in the memo. "We'll be flexible wherever possible and our focus on employee health, safety and well-being remains consistent."

The bank will provide at least four weeks notice to employees returning to workplaces, Gottschling said.

RBC joins Toronto-Dominion Bank and Bank of Nova Scotia in extending work-from-home plans for the majority of staff.

Ontario's provincial government said Toronto would move into the third stage of economic reopening on Friday, allowing most businesses in Canada's most populous city to resume operations after more than four months of lockdown.

By Nichola Saminather