Bank of America tells junior NYC staffers to 'dress down' as crime surges

As crime rates surge in New York City, some Wall Street banks are encouraging young staffers to dress for work with caution.

At Bank of America, senior executives have told their junior colleagues to "dress down" as they file into the bank's midtown offices, according to the New York Post. Staffers have ben told that wearing anything with the bank's logo on it could make them a target. 

New York City is currently clocking a 15% increase in felony assaults over the past 28 days, compared to the same period a year ago. 

With the end of daylight-saving time last month, more people are commuting home in the dark, prompting a renewed worry about crime.

Though most major banks send their employees home in car services if they work after hours, many employees still use Penn Station and Port Authority as transportation hubs. Once it gets dark, the long stretches of city blocks surround those areas populated only by suspicious characters can feel dangerous, one source told the Post.

Some shops, like Citibank, have begun offering employees private shuttles to-and-from the office, so they can avoid public transit altogether. 

One Wall Street worker told the outlet, "Some people I work with have been accosted. ... I’d say it's becoming frequent, if not common."