Bank CEO says employees get a 2-week 'recharge period' at the end of December with more relaxed work schedules

• BNY Mellon CEO Robin Vince said the bank is currently in a "recharge period" until 2024.
• Employees at the finance giant are encouraged to focus on "core business activities." 
• The move is part of a larger push by the bank to provide mental health support to its workers.

The CEO of Bank of New York Mellon says it's OK to be more laid back at work during the last weeks of the year.

Robin Vince, who also serves as president of BNY Mellon, announced that the bank is experimenting with an end-of-year "recharge period" for its employees.

For two weeks at the end of December, Vince said that BNY Mellon employees are encouraged "to narrow their focus to client and core business activities, postponing more routine items until the New Year."

In a LinkedIn post, Vince said the bank will continue to serve clients while allowing people to have more flexible schedules by relaxing its hybrid work model during this time. Until 2024, BNY Mellon will be setting aside "the bureaucracy of running a company," he told Bloomberg.

And, the CEO said he'll also be taking advantage of the recharge period.

"As we enter our 240th anniversary of being in business, I'm personally looking forward to taking some time to recharge and enjoy all my kids being under one roof — an increasingly rare occurrence in our household," Vince wrote.

Employees at the bank have commented on Vince's post with their own experience with the new relaxation period.

"This 'recharge' was an amazing holiday surprise! It's a great way to focus on tasks needed for end of year, while also having time to spend with family and friends during the holiday season!! Thanks Robin," Michael Snyder, an analyst at BNY Mellon, commented.

It's part of a larger push by the bank to provide mental health support to its employees. Earlier this month, BNY Mellon announced an expansion of its mental health benefits for workers in 2024.

Vince took over as CEO in 2022 with plans to revitalize the finance giant. In January 2023, the company announced plans to lay off about 1,500 jobs from its workforce.

Months later, BNY Mellon hosted a women-only poker night at the New York Stock Exchange for International Women's Day.