The Bank of America has reportedly told its Midtown employees to 'dress down' and avoid wearing company logos while commuting to the office as New York City experiences a surge in crime.
Senior executives at the Bryant Park location have been encouraging their younger staff to 'dress down' in order to attract less attention as they travel to work, sources told the New York Post.
They have reportedly warned staffers that wearing the company logo or dressing up could make them a target for assault, which is up 15 percent the past month.
John Yiannacopoulos, a media relations executive for Bank of America, told DailyMail.com on Friday that the company does offer 'safety guidelines' to employees. Bank of America declined to let DailyMail.com view its guidelines.
One bank employee, who was not named, told the New York Post's On The Money column that he was on a high alert after seeing a stranger with a knife near the bank's office.
A top executive of a large money management firm even said he started carrying a Taser - which has been legal to carry in New York since 2019, when a federal court reversed the state's complete ban on civilian stun guns and tasers, a source close to the executive told On The Money.
Top Executives at Bank of America's Bryant Park location (pictured) have advised younger staff to 'dress down' as they commute to and from the office to avoid being targets of crimes, sources told the New York Post
Crime has been up significantly in the city after pandemic restrictions were loosened. One Bank of America employee told the Post they were on high alert after seeing a man carrying a knife. Assault is up 15 percent in a week and 9.1 percent overall in New York City
The bank's office is a block away from Times Square, with many employees using Penn Station and Port Authority as transportation hubs as they travel to and from the office.
The surge in crime in New York City has only heightened fears as daylight-savings time ended in November, causing many commuters to travel home in the dark.
Some companies, such as Citibank, are offering private shuttles and car services for their employees who work after hours, so they can avoid public transportation altogether.
Most banks offer car services, the New York Post reported.
Yiannacopoulos confirmed to DailyMail.com on Friday that the Bank of America does offer a car service for 'early/late hour travel' for employees. He would not say the specific hours allocated to that service.
It isn't just Midtown that is experiencing a surge in crime, but also places like Wall Street in Downtown Manhattan.
'It's been a topic of conversation on the floor frequently over the last few months,' a Wall Street source told the New York Post.
A Wall Street executive said he was 'encouraged' by the city's Mayor-Elect Eric Adams public safety platform. The incoming mayor, who starts January 1, has said he will target gun violence, bring back undercover cops - which was met with dismay from the Black Live Matter leaders - and to stop jailing the mentally ill. He also said he would send officers into hot spots by following crime statistics to be able to better deploy officers
'Some people I work with have been accosted,' the Wall Street source said. 'I'd say it's becoming frequent, if not common. There's probably a dozen incidents that I saw, or have been involved in.'
The source said they mostly dealt with verbal disputes, but have experienced physical ones.
Despite most corporate workers across the city still working from home, many think 'part of getting people back to the office in NYC is about making the streets and subways safer.'
New York City's Mayor-Elect Eric Adams, 61 - who ran his
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