No pay cuts at bank branches affected by brief closure

Singapore

WITH selected branches suspending operations to meet stricter safe distancing requirements, banks have come out to assure affected staff that they will suffer no pay cuts, despite being redeployed.

The three local banks - DBS, OCBC and UOB - will close 29, 22 and 24 branches respectively in Singapore till May 4. They told The Business Times that the temporary closures will have no impact on the salaries of the staff in these branches during this period.

DBS staff who are "more vulnerable" from the novel coronavirus, such as those aged 60 and above, who are pregnant or have medical conditions, can "take a break from work while still being on full pay", said Yeo Wenxian, head of DBS and POSB branch banking.

The rest of the affected staff will be redeployed to the 28 remaining DBS/POSB branches that remain open. They will be rostered to work shorter hours and fewer days per week in the interest of safety, she added.

To minimise contact risk, the DBS branch staff can also take taxis or ride-hailing cars to and from work, as well as use food delivery services for their meals at work - for which the bank will pay.

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Meanwhile, DBS's branch wealth planning managers are "well equipped" to serve clients virtually from home, using the bank's telecommuting tools, said Ms Yeo.

UOB told BT that its affected branch staff will fill the roles of those who are taking rostered time off, or take up other temporary positions needed during this period in the bank, such as "safe distancing ambassadors".

These ambassadors will enforce safe distancing measures at the 38 UOB branches that remain open, and also limit the number of people in these branches, said Benny Chan, UOB's head of channels (Singapore), group channels and digitalisation. "We have also made arrangements for our colleagues who are expectant mothers, older, and those with underlying medical conditions to either work from home or to take a paid leave of absence," he added.

Similarly, the staff from the affected 30 per cent of OCBC's total branches in Singapore will also be redeployed to other roles within the bank, or to work from home - with no change in salaries.

At the 24 OCBC branches that will stay open, the bank's sales and service staff will "work in teams, in shifts and on a rotational basis", said Sunny Quek, OCBC's head of consumer financial services in Singapore.

Standard Chartered, HSBC, Maybank and Citi will also shut some branches here till May 4. They have also assured all affected staff that they will have their full pay intact.

A HSBC spokesperson told BT the bank has directed over 75 per cent of its local staff to work from home, with "minimal disruption" to its operations in Singapore.

"While there are some disruptions to services through the temporary closures of some of our branches, our people are largely carrying on with servicing our clients," he added.

Citi's affected branch staff will serve customers from alternate locations, including working from home. "The pay structure of redeployed staff remains unchanged. Currently, we do not have any staff being put on no-pay leave," said Adam Rahman, head of corporate affairs for Citi Singapore and Asean.

Maybank has adopted a "buddy system" where a closed branch will be paired with a branch that will remain open, according to a spokesperson. Two teams have been formed from each pair of buddy branches and they will rotate weekly their deployment to the branches which will remain open till May 4.

The spokesperson said that 40-45 per cent of the branch staff will work from home during this period - and there will be no impact on their current salaries and benefits.

Likewise, StanChart will redeploy affected staff to other branches or to work from home with full pay intact. Employees working from home are encouraged to upgrade their skills via online courses, said a spokesperson.