By Javaughn Keyes
The NCB Financial Group is to discontinue its widespread work from home arrangements and the associated benefits.
This reflects the ending of the flexible work arrangement instituted by one of the country's largest banks, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Radio Jamaica News obtained a copy of correspondence shared with employees, which showed that the current work for home benefit enjoyed by employees in the NCB Financial Group will come to an end on February 1.
The notice says the "transition back to office", requires all team members who can be accommodated to work in office five days per week.
It says, however, divisions or business units with space constraints will see staff returning to office on a phased basis.
The proposed rotation will see these staff members spending three days in office and two days working remotely.
Radio Jamaica News was told that a number of NCB staff members were not pleased with the announcement, as some employees tailored their living arrangements to the "Work From Home" flexibility.
Staff members who spoke also indicated that this will put a dent on the finances of those who were paid a remote work allowance.
With this benefit being removed, except for in instances of special approval, some employees will see up to $50,000 or more which they have been receiving for almost three years, being removed from their monthly pay.
Radio Jamaica News was reliably informed that the NCB Financial Group could save about $600 million with the removal of this benefit.
NCB says the decision to end the work from home arrangement was made after careful consideration, and was done in a bid to strengthen collaboration and interactions across teams.
Corporate firms and governments over the last year and a half especially, have been phasing out work from home for staff.
Earlier this week in the US, some government workers in Washington D.C, were informed that come March, a number of office workers will only be allowed to work remotely once per week.
These decisions also come on the heels of work from home research done by Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy and Research which says there is about a 10 to 20 per cent decline in productivity for fully remote workers.
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