Citibank is giving staff until next Friday to start the vaccination process before being placed on unpaid leave.
Citigroup C is upping its pressure on its unvaccinated employees by giving them a final ultimatum.
Get vaccinated or find another job.
Unvaccinated employees have until Jan. 14 to begin the vaccination procedure before they will be put on unpaid leave. The last day on the job will be the end of the month after that, Bloomberg reported after seeing an internal message to staff.
Some of the employees will be eligible for certain year-end bonus payments, but they will have to sign an agreement that states they won’t pursue legal action against the company to receive the payments, according to the message.
“You are welcome to apply for other roles at Citi in the future as long as you are compliant with Citi’s vaccination policy,” the message said, according to Bloomberg.
More than 90% of Citi’s workforce is vaccinated, the news service reported, and the company allows employees to apply for religious or medical exemptions.
Citi decision comes ahead of a Supreme Court hearing Friday, where the justices will hear arguments concerning President Joe Biden’s mandate that all U.S. companies with at least 100 employees have them either be vaccinated or subjected to weekly tests.
Citi is the first of the big banks to make the move.
Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams publicly urged Wall Street banks, and other employers with offices in the city, to bring their workers back to the office.
As the omicron variant raged in December, Citigroup told its New York staff to work from home if they are able to after the bank began allowing vaccinated staff to return to some offices in the previous months.
