These employers are requiring COVID-19 vaccines

Here are some employers that recently have announced vaccination mandates for their employees.

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Capital One

Due to the Delta variant, the financial firm is delaying its office reopening to Nov. 2 from Sept. 7. And when it reopens, the company is requiring its associates coming to a Capital One campus or office to be fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated associates should continue to work from home and “will be supported in doing so,” Capital One Chairman and CEO Richard Dana said in a company post.

“Unfortunately, we have watched the Delta variant tear a hole through the steady course of improvement in COVID-19 outcomes that we had been experiencing,” he wrote. “I know that some associates are unvaccinated at this time and may be disappointed or frustrated by this announcement. But a key prerequisite for a successful return is our associates having confidence in the safety of our work environment.”

Delta Airlines

The airlines announced in May that it would require all new hires in the U.S. to be vaccinated against COVID-19, effective May 17. However, the company noted in its statement that it “will not be putting in place a company-wide mandate to require current employees to be vaccinated.”

Equinox

Fitness company Equinox, which owns SoulCycle, announced it will require its employees to show one-time proof of vaccination to enter Equinox clubs, SoulCycle studios, and corporate offices, starting in New York City in early September. It also will require customers to do the same. The company says one-time proof of vaccination can be provided in the form of a paper immunization card, a photo of an immunization card, or a digital vaccine card. “We have a responsibility to take bold action and respond to changing circumstances with urgency,” says Harvey Spevak, Equinox Group executive chairman, managing partner. “We encourage other leading brands to join us in this effort to best protect our communities.”

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Facebook

The social media giant said it will require all employees coming to its offices to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Google

Google became one of the first high-profile companies to announce it will require workers to roll up their sleeves. In a blog post on July 28, the tech giant said anyone coming to work on its campuses will need to be vaccinated. “We’re rolling this policy out in the U.S. in the coming weeks and will expand to other regions in the coming months. The implementation will vary according to local conditions and regulations, and will not apply until vaccines are widely available in your area,” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said in the post. “You’ll get guidance from your local leads about how this will affect you, and we’ll also share more details on an exceptions process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other protected reasons.”

Kaiser Permanente

The healthcare organization announced it is requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all of its 240,000 employees and physicians amid the resurging pandemic.

“As the country’s largest integrated care delivery system, we feel it is our responsibility to do everything we can to help bring an end to the pandemic, especially in light of the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases from the highly infectious Delta variant,” Greg Adams, chair and chief executive officer, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan, Inc, said in a company statement

McDonald’s

The fast food giant announced Wednesday that all corporate employees must be vaccinated by Sept. 27, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Microsoft

The tech giant says it will now require employees to be fully vaccinated to enter the company’s U.S. offices and other worksites, starting in September, according to The Seattle Times.

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley recently told employees they have to be vaccinated before returning to New York offices. Employees, contingent workers, clients and visitors are required to confirm they have been vaccinated before entering Morgan Stanley buildings in New York City and Westchester County. That policy went into effect on July 12.

Saks

Retailer Saks is requiring that its workers be fully vaccinated before they return to the office in the fall, according to the New York Times.

Tyson

Tyson Foods is requiring its team members at U.S. office locations to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1. All other team members are required to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1, subject to ongoing discussions with locations represented by unions, the company said in a statement. The company noted that almost half of Tyson Foods’ U.S. workforce has been vaccinated and coronavirus infection rates among team members remain low.

“Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the single most effective thing we can do to protect our team members, their families and their communities,” says Dr. Claudia Coplein, Tyson’s chief medical officer. “With rapidly rising COVID-19 case counts of contagious, dangerous variants leading to increasing rates of severe illness and hospitalization among the U.S. unvaccinated population, this is the right time to take the next step to ensure a fully vaccinated workforce.”

Uber

Uber Technologies is pushing back its office return date for workers to late October, and requiring all employees in the United States to be fully vaccinated before returning to office, according to Reuters.

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United Airlines

The airline carrier said it is requiring its 67,000 employees to get vaccinated.

Walgreens

The pharmacy company announced that its employees based in its U.S. support offices will be required to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30. Team members who work in these locations and who are unable to be vaccinated will need to enroll in a COVID-19 testing program.

Walmart

The retail giant announced it will require all market, regional and divisional associates who work in multiple facilities and all campus office associates to be vaccinated by Oct. 4, unless they have an approved exception. “As we all know, the pandemic is not over, and the Delta variant has led to an increase in infection rates across much of the U.S.,” Walmart CEO and President Doug McMillon said in a statement.

The Walt Disney Company

Disney is requiring all its salaried and non-union hourly employees in the US to be vaccinated. Workers who are working on-site but are not yet vaccinated must do so within the next 60 days, CNN reported. All new hires must be fully vaccinated before beginning their jobs.

The Washington Post

All Washington Post employees will be required to show proof of COVID vaccine “as a condition of employment,” according to a July 27 tweet from Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi. There are exceptions however for documented medical conditions and religious concerns.

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Kathryn Mayer
Kathryn Mayer is HRE’s former benefits editor and chair of the Health & Benefits Leadership Conference. She has covered benefits for the better part of a decade, and her stories have won multiple awards, including a Jesse H. Neal Award and honors from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and the National Federation of Press Women. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Denver.