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All the major companies requiring vaccines for workers

By Jessica Mathews,

2021-08-23
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Companies are putting their foot down when it comes to COVID.

With the highly contagious Delta variant sweeping across the country—and only about half of Americans fully vaccinated—a big wrench has been tossed into many companies' fall plans to return to the office.

More of them are moving beyond offering incentives like water bottles, T-shirts, and cash bonuses—and have started requiring that their staffers get a COVID shot. In the first two weeks of August, a host of airlines, retailers, tech companies, banks, and health care companies have told employees that vaccinations will no longer be optional to come into the office—or in some cases, like at Ascension Health, even to work remotely. Some companies have more forgiving terms than others, by offering employees the option to keep working from home, rather than risk termination. Requiring vaccines is a move that most workers support (52% according to a recent Gallup poll), but a sizable chunk of the workforce (29%) is strongly opposed—likely some of the same people who are strongly opposed to the COVID vaccines in general.

Here’s a running list of the major U.S. corporations that have made moves to get their staff vaccinated, and the policies they’ve put in place.

Amtrak All company employees must either be vaccinated or start getting weekly COVID tests, effective Nov. 1, per Travel + Leisure. Starting Oct. 4, all new employees will be required to show proof of vaccination before they begin their role. There will be exemptions for medical or religious reasons.

Anthem Employees must get a vaccine in order to enter its headquarters or other open offices, according to NBC News.

Ascension Health The company is requiring all its associates to get the COVID vaccine, regardless of whether they work on-site or remotely, by Nov. 13, the company said at the end of July. The mandate includes all its staffers, subsidiary and partner employees, independent physicians, and volunteers who enter their facilities. Individuals can request exemptions based on medical conditions or religious beliefs.

AT&T AT&T is requiring its management employees to get vaccinated before entering any of its locations, though it may make exceptions for employees who cannot receive it for medical or other reasons, according to Reuters.

Bank of America For its expected reopening in September, the bank will allow only vaccinated employees to reenter its offices, per Bloomberg.

BlackRock Only employees who show they have been vaccinated are permitted in BlackRock’s offices. The company required all its employees to report their vaccination status in June, according to Bloomberg. BlackRock is planning to fully reopen in September, although it expects to still allow remote work.

Capital One Capital One said earlier this month that it would require all its employees to be fully vaccinated before returning to the office, and it delayed that reopening until November. Unvaccinated employees will be able to keep working from home until at least the first quarter of 2022. Any contractors, vendors, or visitors must also be vaccinated to enter any office location.

Cardinal Health Cardinal Health will require its salaried employees, office-based staff, sales team, and employees who need to travel for business to get the vaccine by Oct. 4, according to a memo seen by a local news station.

Centene Corporation The company said earlier this month that all its employees needed to provide proof of vaccination as soon as possible, and it will require vaccination for all its employees who interact with members. Those who don’t provide proof will be required to test regularly for COVID and wear masks within its company offices. Starting at the beginning of October, all new employees as well as its essential business contractors and subcontractors will also need to show proof of vaccination in order to enter its offices. The company also delayed the first phase of its reopening a month, to Oct. 18.

Chevron The company will require expatriate employees, staffers who travel internationally, U.S.-flagged ship employees and some Gulf of Mexico employees to get a vaccine, the company told the Wall Street Journal.

Cisco Systems Cisco is requiring those who are coming into its offices to be vaccinated, an executive told the Wall Street Journal. The company will likely extend this policy as its offices open more widely this fall.

Citigroup The bank said this month that its employees returning to offices in New York, Chicago, and other cities would need to be vaccinated, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg. Staff at bank branches are not required to be vaccinated, although masks are required.

CNN CNN is permitting only vaccinated employees to return to its U.S. offices, according to the New York Times. The news network fired three of its employees earlier this month for violating its policy.

CVS The company said that corporate staffers or those who interact with patients must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31, per the New York Times. Pharmacists must get a vaccine by Nov. 30. Employees with medical or religious reasons can request exemption from the policy.

Delta Airlines The company said in mid-May that it would require all new hires to be vaccinated, unless they qualify for accommodations.

Facebook Facebook is requiring employees to get a vaccine before returning to work in the U.S., it told workers at the end of July. The company plans to be at 50% capacity in September and fully reopen in October.

Ford Motor Ford is requiring its employees who travel internationally for business to get a vaccine, the company told NBC News. It reimplemented a mask mandate for all of its employees earlier this month.

Frontier Airlines The company said earlier this month that it would require all of its employees to get vaccinated by Oct. 1 or take regular COVID tests.

Google Google said at the end of July that all employees would need to be vaccinated to come into work on its campus. The timing of the requirements is based on geographic region and vaccine availability. The company extended its work-from-home policy until Oct. 18.

Hawaii Airlines Employees will be required to get a vaccine before Nov. 1, according to a memo obtained by Hawaii News Now. Employees can apply for exemptions and be subject to regular COVID testing. The airline would work on a program for its international employees, it said.

Hess All the company’s U.S. offshore workers will need to be vaccinated before Nov. 1, per Bloomberg.

Jefferies Financial Group The company requires all its employees be vaccinated in order to enter the office or attend any company events outside of it. The mandate also applies to clients or guests.

Johnson & Johnson The company will require that its U.S. employees and contractors be fully vaccinated before Oct. 4, according to Fierce Pharma. It will make exceptions for people with medical conditions or other reasons.

Lyft All Lyft office employees need to be vaccinated in order to return to the office, according to a staff email seen by CNN Business. The reopening date for most of the company’s U.S. offices has been pushed back to Feb. 2, 2022.

McDonald’s McDonald’s sent an internal memo to employees this month that said U.S. employees would need to be vaccinated to come into their offices. It pushed back its reopening date a month to Oct. 11 to give employees time to meet the new requirement, according to the memo obtained by Reuters. The mandate doesn't apply to staffers in its corporate or franchise restaurants.

Microsoft The company said that starting in September, it will require proof of vaccination for its employees, as well as vendors and guests, to enter the office, according to the Seattle Times. The company will accommodate staffers with medical conditions or religious reasons for not getting vaccinated.

Morgan Stanley The company began requiring its employees to show proof of vaccination to enter its New York offices in mid-July, according to a memo seen by the Financial Times. Those who refuse lose building access.

Netflix The company is requiring all its employees and visitors to show proof of vaccination before entering its headquarters, according to Variety. Cast and crew members of U.S. productions must also be vaccinated.

Northwestern Mutual All employees or contractors who work at Northwestern Mutual offices will be required to show proof of vaccination, the company told a local news station.

Pfizer U.S. Employees will be required to get a vaccine or have to undergo weekly COVID testing, according to CNBC.

Saks Fifth Avenue The company is requiring all its employees to get vaccinated before coming back to the office this fall, according to the New York Times.

Tyson Foods Earlier this month the company said its U.S. employees would need to be vaccinated by Oct. 1 and all its other staffers by Nov. 1. The food group will make exceptions for staffers with medical or religious reasons not to get vaccinated.

Uber Technologies The company started requiring its employees to be vaccinated to enter the office at the beginning of August, per Bloomberg. It pushed back its office reopening date to Oct. 25 from September.

Union Square Hospitality Group All employees and restaurant customers must be able to show proof of vaccination by Sept. 7, the company told CNN Business.

United Airlines All of the airline’s U.S. employees will be required to be vaccinated before Oct. 25. There will be exceptions for those with certain health issues or religious reasons, United told CNBC. Regional airlines that fly short routes for United are exempt from the mandate.

UPS UPS will require all its headquarters and office building employees to get a vaccine by Oct. 1. A vaccine isn’t required among its frontline workers, the company told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The company is still planning a staff-wide return to its headquarters on Sept. 7, but only for vaccinated employees.

Walgreens All employees in support offices must be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30. Those who are not able to get vaccinated will be required to enroll in a COVID testing program. U.S. team members in stores, distribution centers, or other facilities, as well as non-U.S. support offices, do not have to get the vaccine.

Walmart Walmart is requiring all of its employees at its headquarters to be vaccinated before Oct. 4, as well as any of its managers who travel within the U.S. All employees working in its facilities are required to wear masks in high-infection areas. Frontline workers are excluded from the mandate, according to AP News.

Walt Disney The company is mandating all its on-site U.S. salaried and nonunion hourly employees in the U.S. to be fully vaccinated. At the end of July, it gave workers 60 days to meet the new requirements, according to AP News. The company will mandate all its new hires be vaccinated.

The Washington Post The newspaper told staff at the end of July that all employees must show proof of vaccination by Sept. 13 as a condition of employment, according to the New York Times, although there will be exceptions for those with documented medical conditions or religious concerns. Contractors and guests will also be required to show proof of vaccination before entering their offices.

Update, August 24, 2021: This article has been updated with information about policies at Chevron, Hess, and CVS.

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