(Recasts to reflect that some companies have pushed back their office return dates, adds details)

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Noor Zainab Hussain

Aug 5 (Reuters) - Many of Wall Street's biggest banks are sticking by their decision to make employees return to the office in the coming weeks even as public health officials' warnings about the aggressive Delta variant of the coronavirus are prompting some firms to rethink their plans.

The variant is sparking fears even among vaccinated professionals that they might be bringing home harm to unvaccinated children and others after a day at the office. This has created pressure for law firms, financial service companies and others to re-evaluate, lawyers, bankers and investment managers said.

Wells Fargo & Co has pushed back its return-to-office date to Oct. 4 and BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager, is delaying its return date by one month, to October, representatives of the companies said. Law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer pushed its date to Oct. 11 from Sept. 13, it said.

The shifts were announced this week amid growing concerns https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/global-covid-19-cases-surpass-200-mln-delta-variant-spreads-2021-08-04 over increased danger due to the new variant.

"By making us come back to the office, you are essentially putting our families and children at risk," said one person on a financial services company's firm-wide conference call where employees could ask questions and air potential grievances about returning to the office, according to another participant who was on the call and spoke with Reuters.

MANHATTAN OR THE SUBURBS?

Wall Street employers are divided on the issue. After hastily adapting to working remotely as the pandemic spread last year, many firms are ready to bring their staff back, if only for a portion of the week. For many that means a return to commuter trains and high-rise office buildings' elevators starting next month.

But some are now resisting, arguing that life in the suburbs can be just as productive for business as it is for life after hours. Indeed the New York suburbs are quickly developing into outposts to do business deals whether at outdoor restaurants, the beach or a lake, people said.

"A lot of people are not commuting into the city right now and so the New York suburbs have become a new meeting place that never existed before but where you can efficiently arrange a lot of face-to-face meetings now," said Jonathan Litt, whose hedge fund Land & Buildings Investment Management concentrates on real estate.