List of Companies Requiring Mandatory Vaccinations to Return to the Workplace

UPDATED September 9, 2021: The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing an emergency rule requiring employers with at least 100 employees to require all employees to be vaccinated, or provide a negative COVID-19 test at least once a week. Not complying with the yet-to-be-released rule could result in a fine of $14,000.

Returning to the workplace during COVID is not easy to navigate. HR managers and small business owners must balance safety with laws while respecting employee privacy. You must communicate policies in a clear manner and update as needed, often daily. Some questions you may have are:

• Should you require employees to wear face masks?
• Should you require proof of employee vaccination?
• Should you take safety precautions, like temperature checks?
• Should you require social distancing at work?

And more recently, in the wake of the new Delta variant spreading rampantly, companies have taken the extra step of requiring vaccinations for employees who plan to return to the workplace.

List of Companies Who Have Announced They are Requiring Vaccines for Employees to Return to Work

Ascension Health (St. Louis, MO)

The company is requiring that all employees — whether they work on-site or remotely — need to get vaccinated by November 12, 2021.

Dignity Health (Phoenix, AZ)

Per KTAR, Dignity announced that in keeping with Dignity Health’s mission of improving the health of those it serves and especially those who are vulnerable, and a commitment to providing safe care for patients and a safe work environment for clinicians and staff, Dignity Health is requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov 1.

AT&T (Dallas, TX)

Management employees must get vaccinated before entering any AT&T locations, Reuters reported.

Bank of America (Charlotte, NC)

The bank will allow only vaccinated employees to reenter its offices for its expected September 2021 reopening, according to Bloomberg.

Capitol One (McLean, VA)

All Capitol One employees — along with contractors, vendors, and visitors — will have to be fully vaccinated to enter any office location. The company has delayed its reopening to November 2021.

Cardinal Health (Dublin, OH)

Any Cardinal Health salaried employees, office-based staff, sales team, and employees who need to travel for business will need to be vaccinated by October 4, 2021, NBC4i reported.

Centene Corporation (St. Louis, MO)

All Centene employees will need to provide proof of vaccination, and all staff who interact with members are required to be vaccinated. Those who don’t provide proof will be required to submit regular negative COVID-19 tests and wear masks within company offices. Starting at the beginning of October 2021, all new employees along with essential business contractors and subcontractors will need to provide proof of vaccination to enter any Centene offices.

Chevron (San Ramon, CA)

Vaccines are required for expatriate employees, staffers who travel internationally, U.S.-flagged ship employees and some Gulf of Mexico employees, according to the Wall Street Journal.

CNN (Atlanta, GA)

Only vaccinated employees can return to its U.S. offices, the New York Times reported.

CVS (Woonsocket, RI)

Employees who are corporate staffers, or those who interact with patients, must be fully vaccinated by October 31, 2021, according to the New York Times. Pharmacists must get a vaccine by November 30, 2021.

Deloitte (New York, NY)

The company will require all staff to be vaccinated by October 11 in order to enter its U.S. locations, Bloomberg reported.

McDonalds corporate (New York, NY)

McDonald’s global chief people officer Heidi Capozzi wrote in an internal note obtained by CNBC that state and local governments asked the company to require vaccinations. The vaccine mandate doesn’t apply to McDonald’s restaurant-level workers.

California Teachers and Staff

In order to best protect students and staff as California starts the school year fully in-person, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) August 11 issued a new public health order requiring all school staff to either show proof of full vaccination or be tested at least once per week.

US Military – All branches

Members of the U.S. military will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning next month under a plan laid out by the Pentagon Monday and endorsed by President Joe Biden. In memos distributed to all troops, top Pentagon leaders said the vaccine is a necessary step to maintain military readiness.

Banner Health (Phoeniz, AZ)  

Announced on July 20 that all employees must be vaccinated by Nov 1. Per KTAR News, since then, Honor Health, Phoenix Children’s, Sonora Quest Laboratories and Valleywise Health have followed suit.

Microsoft (Redmond, WA)

In a sign of growing momentum for vaccine mandates, Microsoft has reversed course and will now require employees to be fully vaccinated to enter the company’s U.S. offices and other worksites, starting next month. They told employees August 3 it will “require proof of vaccination for all employees, vendors, and any guests entering Microsoft buildings in the U.S.” The company also said it will have a process to accommodate employees “who have a medical condition or other protected reason, such as religion, which prevent them from getting vaccinated.”

Uber (San Francisco, CA)

On July 29, Uber Technologies Inc announced they are pushing back its back-to-office date to late October globally, and all employees in the United States will have to be fully vaccinated before returning to office.

Cisco (San Jose, CA)

Announced July 29 that it will require employees entering its offices to be fully vaccinated. Cisco is allowing a hybrid approach to work, and employees who remain at home will not be required to show proof of vaccination.

DoorDash (San Francisco, CA)

will require all corporate employees who choose to work in offices to be vaccinated, according to a report by Spectrum News. Current vaccination policies do not apply to “dashers,” the vast workforce that delivers orders.

The company announced July 22 that it would be changing its model to provide more hybrid opportunities for corporate employees.

Facebook (Menlo Park, CA)

Facebook will require U.S.-based workers to be vaccinated when the company reopens offices nationally. Facebook did not make clear when the policy would go into effect.

Frontier Airlines (Denver, CO)

Frontier Airlines will require employees to be fully vaccinated and present proof by Oct. 1. Employees who cannot get vaccinated or refuse to will be required to provide negative coronavirus test results regularly.

Google (Menlo Park, CA)

Google will require all employees returning to its offices be vaccinated. Employees will be informed 30 days before they are set to return to the office.

The mandate will be contingent on how readily available vaccines are in certain areas.

Hollywood workers (Hollywood, CA)

Producers may require all their cast and crew members be fully vaccinated if they are working in close proximity to actors. Mandates will be on a case-by-case basis.

Tyson Foods (Springdale, AR)

Tyson will require current employees in U.S offices to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 but will give employees at other facilities until Nov. 1 to be fully vaccinated. Less than half of Tyson’s employees are currently vaccinated. All new employees are required to be fully vaccinated prior to commencing. Union employees are not required to be vaccinated, but conversations are taking place, Tyson said.

United Airlines (Chicago, IL)

United Airlines will require all U.S.-based employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 25. Employees who do not provide proof of vaccination will be terminated, the Associated Press reported. The airline has been requiring new hires be vaccinated since mid-June.

Walgreens (Deerfield, IL)

The pharmacy firm will require all employees in U.S. support offices to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30. Employees who refuse to adhere to the policy will have to enroll in a COVID-19 testing program. The rules don’t apply to the company’s retail workers.

Walt Disney Co. (Orlando, FL)

Disney is requiring all salaried and nonunion employees working in the U.S. to be fully vaccinated. The company has given employees 60 days to comply.

All new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated from the time they start working.

Walmart (Benton, AR)

Walmart will require all workers at its corporate headquarters and managers who travel inside the country to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 4. The policy does not include its retail workforce, according to the Associated Press.

Washington State  – Teachers and Staff

Per NBCNews, these companies also have mandatory vaccination requirements in place:

• Amtrak (Washington., D.C.)
• Equinox Fitness (New York)
• Anthem (Indianapolis, IN)
• Blackrock (New York)
• Citigroup / Citibank (New York)
• Delta Airlines (Atlanta, GA)
• Ford (Dearborn, MI)
• Goldman Sachs (New York)
• Jefferies Group (New York)
• Lyft (San Francisco)
• NBC (New York)
• Netflix (Los Gatos, CA)
• New York Times (New York)
• Saks (New York)
• SalesForce (San Francisco)
• Twitter (San Francisco)
• Union Square Hospitality Group (New York)
• Viacom / CBS (new York)

Can you terminate an employee who refuses to get vaccinated?

Yes, in certain states. Here is an article to help clarify.

Thinking of a return to work plan? Here is an article to help you craft a return to work policy.