TORONTO, May 29 (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Canada ( RY )

has asked employees to be in office four times a week starting

in September, according to a memo seen by Reuters, prompting

disapproval among some staff discussing the changes in internal

chat groups.

The memos from various business heads were sent to staff on

Thursday shortly after the bank reported second-quarter earnings

that were lower than analysts' expectations due to a rise in

loan loss provisions to prepare for uncertain times.

The memo said the rule does not apply for roles that are

fully remote or are already in full-time office arrangements.

"RBC is a relationship-driven bank and in-person, human

connection is core to our winning culture. We set the

expectation in 2023 that we'd come together in the office for

the majority of the time, with the flexibility to work remotely

one to two days a week," a spokesperson said.

A company-wide internal chat group that discussed the change

in policy raised questions such as additional travel time and

expenses related to transport, a source told Reuters.

The Canadian lender's decision comes shortly after U.S. bank

JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ), in January asked its employees who are

on hybrid work schedules to return to the office five days a

week starting in March.

RBC has over 94,000 full-time employees across global

offices, as of April 30.