A total of 124 financial companies have allowed some of their employees to work from home to contain a surge in domestic COVID-19 infections, doubling from 62 firms last week, Financial Supervisory Commission data showed yesterday.
Of the financial companies that allow telecommuting, 39 are banks, 28 are life and property insurance companies, 22 are securities brokers, 10 are futures companies, and 25 are securities investment trust and consulting companies, compared with 28 banks, 13 insurers, nine securities brokers and 12 securities and investment firms last week, the data showed. None of the nation’s futures companies allowed teleworking last week.
“It seems that the financial companies have become more cautious about the pandemic and have taken more measures to curb infections,” the commission told a videoconference yesterday.
Photo: CNA
Only a few financial companies have reported COVID-19 infections among their personnel so far.
Fubon Financial Holding Co (富邦金控) said one of its employees has tested positive and had come into contact with an employee at state-run Taiwan Cooperative Bank’s (合庫銀行) branch in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城), the commission said.
The two companies have disinfected the office and branch, the commission added.
Taishin Securities Investment Advisory Co (台新投顧) has asked its researchers and analysts to work from home. While they would not be able to link to the office’s online database, they would still produce high-quality analysis, general manager Mason Li (李鎮宇) said by telephone.
Taishin Financial Holding Co (台新金控) said it has allowed staff who live in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) to work remotely this week, and would subsidize employees’ COVID-19 jabs and offer two days of paid leave to vaccinated personnel.
Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank (台北富邦銀行) said in a statement that it has since last year given its back-office staff the option to work from home, and that 30 percent of its employees have been working from home.
The bank would offer nine days of unpaid leave to employees who need to take care of their family amid school closures in Taipei and New Taipei City beginning today, it added.
Citibank Taiwan Ltd (花旗台灣) said it has asked all staff in its middle and back offices to work at home except under certain circumstances, while front-office staff would be divided into two shifts.
The bank has invested in equipment to enable up to 80 percent of its staff to work from home if necessary, it added.
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