MILAN (Reuters) - Italian bank UniCredit will allow its non-branch staff globally to work from home for up to two days a week on average once the health crisis is over, it said on Thursday.
The move will see the bank offering the maximum amount of remote working allowed by an industry-wide contract in Italy.
Prior to the pandemic, UniCredit staff at its various central offices could decide to work remotely for up to one day a week on average, a spokesperson for the bank said.
Companies across the world are gauging how much flexibility to let employees retain following often months of working from home during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Swiss bank UBS said on Monday it would let most staff adopt hybrid working patterns, while Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has said it expects most staff at its Manhattan headquarters to return to the office by September.
UniCredit will also let branch employees work from home for one day a week if they want to and their role allows it, the spokesperson said.
Lando Mario Sileoni, the head of Italy's main banking union FABI, welcomed the move, which was first announced in an interview to Bloomberg News by UniCredit's Chief Operating Officer Ranieri de Marchis.
"This is an important first step in the right direction ... to give workers the chance, once the emergency is over, to go back to the office or partly work remotely ... in line with the national contract that says workers can opt for up to 10 days a month of remote working," Sileoni said.
Around 40% of UniCredit staff globally are employed in central offices.