K’taka State-level Bankers Committee asks certain staff to work from home

Bengaluru: In view of the rise in COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, the State-level Bankers Committee (SLBC) has asked employees with co-morbidities, pregnant women and persons with disability to work from home and announced change in business hours.

The SLBC Karnataka convener and Canara Bank general manager B Chandrasekhara Rao, in a letter, told the State controlling heads of all the member banks and the lead district managers asking them to follow the decisions arrived at in consultation with the State government.

According to the order, the bank business hours would be from 10 AM to 2 PM and working hours from 10 AM to 4 PM both for administrative offices and branches effective from April 22 to May 31.

The administrative offices and branches would function with reduced staff preferably around 50 per cent.

‘Employees with existing comorbidities, lactating or pregnant employees, persons with disabilities, employees having kids with autism or cerebral palsy should be given work from home facility wherever possible,’ the order said.

The order asks the banks to avoid physical training and encourage meetings through virtual mode (VC) to avoid mass gathering.

Only basic banking services like cash transactions, clearing services, remittances and government business and transactions should be extended by branches till May 31.

Chandrasekhara asked the member banks to follow all the precautionary measures and abide by the COVID-19 protocol.