Goldman Sachs to lift vaccination, Covid-19 requirements in most offices next month

Goldman Sachs will lift all its Covid-19 requirements in most offices beginning Sept. 6 in an effort to incentivize its employees to return to the office more than two years into the pandemic.

According to a memo sent Tuesday and obtained by CNBC, the bank will no longer require its workers to be vaccinated to enter its offices or to test and wear face coverings. The policy applies to most offices with the exception of those in Lima and New York City.

Unvaccinated employees in New York City will still need an approved religious or medical exemption to enter the bank’s office spaces, according to the memo.

The news from Goldman Sachs comes as companies across the world grapple with how to balance Covid-19 restrictions and the desire to bring workers back in person more than two years after lockdowns began.

It should be noted that the memo didn’t specifically require workers to come into the office. Instead, it encouraged employees who have not come into the office to speak with their managers to make sure they are conforming to “current return to office expectations.”

The bank also said it will continue contact tracing efforts but expects to end its program of distributing free antigen test kits at its offices by the end of 2022, according to the memo.

— Leslie Picker contributed reporting.