Citi requires all U.S. employees to be vaccinated

Citigroup Inc. will require all U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of their employment, citing President Joe Biden’s directive to federal contractors.

The Wall Street giant asked its employees to present proof of vaccination before December 8, and said those who comply would receive $ 200 as “gratitude”According to a memo sent to staff Thursday and accessed by Bloomberg News. Citigroup set January 14 as the deadline for workers to upload vaccination cards, to give unvaccinated staff more time to get vaccinated.

“Our medical teams have consulted with the best experts from some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country and are confident in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines that we have at our disposal.Sara Wechter, who heads the human resources of Citigroup, based in New York.

“We have been advised that a fully vaccinated workplace is one of the most important things we can do to keep colleagues healthy when they are on site”He added.

US banks have been grappling with vaccination mandates and testing policies as they bring staff back to their facilities. While other large banks have required vaccinations for new hires or returnees, Citigroup will become the first major Wall Street bank to make the vaccine a condition of employment.

In August, Citigroup told employees that anyone returning to offices in the New York area and other major cities in the United States would have to get vaccinated. The new policy extends that requirement to the bank’s entire US workforce, made up of about 65,000 employees.

Biden’s Order

Biden last month ordered everyone who supports government contracts, as well as anyone who works in the same offices as those employees, to be fully vaccinated. The US Government is a “big and important customer”Of Citigroup, Wechter said, and after reviewing its operations, decided that the vast majority of its major US headquarters were affected by the order.

In one example of the scope of the mandate, a team of Citigroup employees in Delaware are supporting a government contract, meaning everyone who works in that office must be vaccinated, Wechter said. But it also means that if the team is supported by human resource professionals in Tampa or a finance executive in Buffalo, everyone in those locations should also get vaccinated so that Citigroup fully comply with the order of Bidenhe explained.

“Our people are our most important assetWechter said in the memo. “Please note that this decision was considered very carefully, and we will do our best to help you meet this new requirement. We’ve been through a lot and we’re proud of how we’ve come together to support each other. ”

Citigroup will allow employees who believe they may be entitled to a religious or medical exemption, as well as any other accommodation required by state or local law, to apply for exemption from this requirement. The bank told those employees it would ask them to submit supporting documentation.

Although the workers at the branches of Citigroup They will also be subject to the mandate, they were told that they would receive separate information on how the new requirement would apply. Citigroup has 658 branches in six metropolitan areas across the country.