BOM open fewer hours

Ian Rogers

It’s early closing – 1970s style – for Bank of Melbourne branches in Victoria.

“We have made the decision to close branches at the earlier time of 3.30pm for a period of six weeks from next Wednesday,” Mark Melvin, State General Manager for Westpac Victoria and Chief Executive, Bank of Melbourne, told Banking Day in a statement.

Late last week, ANZ said it would close 34 branches across New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia.

“The majority of Westpac and Bank of Melbourne branches remain open in Victoria to support customers with their essential banking needs,” Melvin said.

“We have implemented a range of measures to keep our branch employees and customers safe, including masks, physical safety barriers, distance signage, hand sanitiser, and maximum occupancy limits.

“However, we recognise that this is a challenging time for our frontline employees. Our branch teams have been dedicated to helping customers during COVID-19.”

Westpac has also extended its leave policy so that employees in Victoria can receive two weeks special paid leave if they need to self-isolate due to COVID-19 and can’t work from home.

Employees who can’t work due to carer responsibilities, like children being unable to attend school or childcare, can also access up to two weeks special paid leave.