Tysons, Virginia-based Capital One Financial joins a growing list of large companies that are pushing back their return to the office plans for U.S. employees because of the spread of coronavirus delta variant infections, delaying its call back by two months.
Capital One has 10,000 employees in the D.C. area, including at its Tysons headquarters. They’d been scheduled to return to the office on a hybrid basis on Sept. 7. That date has been moved to Nov. 2.
Capital One will also require all employees returning to its Tysons campus or other local and U.S. offices to be fully vaccinated.
“Unfortunately, we have watched the delta variant tear a hole through the steady course of improvement in COVID-19 outcomes that we had been experiencing,” said CEO Richard Fairbank in a message sent to Capital One employees. “These changes apply to office-based roles in the United States. For all other roles, associates should follow guidelines from local leadership.”
For Capital One employees who are not fully vaccinated, they will be allowed to continue to work from home and be fully supported in doing so, with that policy extended through at least the first quarter of 2022.
“I know that some associates are unvaccinated at this time and may be disappointed or frustrated by this announcement,” Fairbank said. “But a key prerequisite for a successful return is our associates having confidence in the safety of our work environment.”
In June, Capital One announced a return to the office plan that included a full hybrid model for office employees, with Mondays and Fridays being enterprise-wide virtual work days and employees working from home or anywhere else. That plan called for Capital One offices to be fully open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with employees encouraged to come into the office, though no set number of days per week would be required.
Capital One has 52,000 employees globally. The return to the office for its employees in Ontario, Canada, has also been moved to Nov. 2. Its offices in the U.K. are currently scheduled to open Sept. 7.
Fairbank’s full message to U.S. employees is online.
