Goldman Sachs eases COVID protocols, bringing staff back to office full-time

NEW YORK - Goldman Sachs is done with remote work.  

The Wall Street giant has told employees that it will no longer require vaccines, Covid testing or masks, essentially saying it is time to get back in the office five days a week starting the day after Labor Day.

Experts say they do not expect all major companies to follow Goldman's lead. 

"I think some companies will follow Goldman Sachs initiative to lift all Covid protocols, but what you won't find is most companies requiring employees to return to the office five days a week," said Greg Giangrande, a human resources specialist and the Chief Human Resources Officer with Ellucian, an education tech company.

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Goldman has been pushing to get workers back in the office full-time since last summer, but Giangrande says the pandemic has transformed the workplace forever, and some companies are having trouble attracting and retaining talent without a hybrid work schedule.

"I think it's going to remain hybrid because you don't really need to work in one location five days a week.  The whole meaning of the workplace has changed," Giangrade said. "The new norm is going to be more flexibility."