Citigroup to US staff: Get vaccinated, or you’re fired
By Matt Egan, CNN Business
Citigroup told staff Thursday that US-based employees will be required to get fully vaccinated if they want to stay employed.
In a post on LinkedIn, Citi’s head of human resources Sara Wechter partially cited the Biden administration’s vaccine order for federal contractors, noting the US government is a “large and important client” of the bank.
“We have an obligation to comply with the Executive Order issued by the White House mandating that individuals supporting government contracts be fully vaccinated — an order that would impact the vast majority of our U.S. colleagues,” Wechter wrote.
In September, President Joe Biden signed an executive order mandating that employees of contractors that do business with the federal government get vaccinated against Covid-19, with no option of being regularly tested to opt out. The government has set a December 8 deadline for contractors to comply.
A Citi official told CNN the bank is strongly encouraging and incentivizing employees to submit proof of vaccination by December 8, including by offering a $200 “thank you” to those that do.
As a condition of employment, Citi employees will need to submit proof of vaccination by January 14, the Citi official said, adding that the bank will do everything it can to help staff get vaccinated to avoid being let go.
The other factor behind the vaccine mandate at Citi is a desire to protect its employees.
“Having a vaccinated workforce enables us to ensure the health and safety of our colleagues as we return to the office in the US,” Wechter, the HR executive, wrote in the LinkedIn post.
Citi said it will assess all requests for religious, medical or other accommodations on a case by case basis.
“We have made the decision to require US-based colleagues to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment,” Wechter wrote.
The Citi exec noted there is a “range of views” about vaccine mandates and that this decision was made with “careful consideration and analysis.”
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