OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — An Olive Branch company that makes high-tech glass for buildings is offering its employees a big incentive to get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Two months ago, View smart glass began setting up COVID-19 vaccine clinics at its plant on Kirk Road and is now giving $1,000 bonuses to its more than 600 workers who get the jab.
“We want to incentivize people and reward people for taking an interest in their health and the health of their family and their friends. We thought the best way to do that was to provide a meaningful financial reward,” said Chief Operations Officer Martin Neumann.
View makes glass with a see-through computer chip that allows the glass to tint as it is hit by the sun, making buildings more comfortable.
“It’s very similar to transition lenses,” said Neumann. “This is glass that automatically tracks the sun.”
The company ships its smart glass worldwide, and it was most recently installed in the new terminal at Memphis International Aiport.
“Memphis airport is going to be one of the newest airports to feature our glass. This joins Chicago O’Hare, SFO, Charlotte, LaGuardia, DFW,” Neumann said.
View has been a leader in the glass industry and wants to do the same thing when it comes to the health and well-being of its employees and their families.
“There has been a lot of talk about mandates and requirements, and that’s usually thought of as punishment,” said Neumann. “We take a different approach. We thought, ‘How do we reward people? How do we align incentives for their health and best interest of the community?’”
Neumann said he didn’t know how many employees have taken advantage of the bonuses but said the incentive program appears to be working.
He said they are doing more than any company in the area to encourage employees to get vaccinated, and they hope to help improve vaccination rates in Memphis and DeSoto County.