The Bank employed about 45.000 people as of the 31st of January 2020, of which only 5 per cent of the workforce was working remotely before the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the bank to make a sweeping reappraisal of its workplace policies. It anticipated that as much as 80 per cent of its staff - about 36.000 employees - may adopt new flexible working arrangements that blend working from home with going into the office even after the pandemic subsides. In terms of ergonomics, the bank focused on creating a sustained working from home model that enables employees with the tools and technology to be productive remotely. Those employees who are working from home are enabled with laptops; for some roles, it has supplied additional technology like monitors, headsets, and other items required for productivity in a remote environment. The VPN remote capabilities of the company allowed its employees whose functions could be performed remotely to work from home during regular work hours.The health and safety of their employees and customers has been the primary focus of their COVID-19 response. A well-established health and safety practices in place in all open worksites including physical distancing measures and enhanced cleaning rigour.
