FAC & Lloyds Banking Group statement on bank workers
Lloyds Banking Group and TSB have been working with the FCA to get a collective, supportive statement out that recognises the great job that bank workers are doing.
Other key workers are often mentioned and supported through the media, but bank workers rarely get a mention.
We hope the FCA’s statement will draw attention to the work our members are doing and remind customers that they deserve the same respect as all other frontline workers.
Accord has also raised this through the Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and to the Health & Safety Executive. Here’s the statement:
Support for frontline staff
Banks, building societies, credit unions and Post Offices are working hard to continue to provide their services during the current period of national restrictions due to coronavirus (Covid-19). At this time, we encourage customers, wherever possible, to use online services for their banking.
We are aware of reports of an increase in verbal and physical attacks on branch staff by customers who have been told to wear a face covering or asked to wait in a queue to help maintain social distancing. This is a matter of concern for the FCA and we wish to thank the frontline staff for their significant efforts to keep branches open during this challenging period.
We would remind customers that, by law, it is mandatory to wear a face covering in a branch, unless you have an exemption. For more information on this please refer to the government guidance for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Branch staff are carrying out a critical public-facing service and must be treated with respect. Staff should not be physically or verbally attacked in any situation, including where a customer has been asked to wear a face covering.
We support firms that adopt a zero-tolerance approach to staff abuse and any necessary follow-up actions to enforce this.
We recognise that coronavirus has made many people anxious about their finances. We are working closely with firms to make sure customers can access the financial services and help they need during the pandemic. For more information on the FCA’s temporary measures to support consumers, please see our coronavirus page.
