Google Warns, "Unvaccinated Employees Will Ultimately Face Termination"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The world's largest search engine company, Google, has warned that employees who do not receive the COVID-19 vaccine will eventually be fired.

On the 14th (local time), economic media CNBC reported, citing an internal memo distributed by Google management, that employees who do not comply with the company's COVID-19 vaccination policy will have their salaries cut and will eventually be dismissed.

According to the memo, Google initially required employees to report their vaccination status to the company and upload proof documents by the 3rd of this month, or otherwise apply for medical or religious exemptions.

It stated that after this deadline, they would begin contacting employees who did not disclose their vaccination status, those who were unvaccinated, or those whose exemption requests were denied.

Google further explained that employees who do not comply with the company's vaccination policy by the deadline of January 18 next year will be placed on a 30-day paid administrative leave, followed by up to six months of unpaid leave.

If they still do not comply with the vaccination policy afterward, they will ultimately be terminated.

January 18 next year is the date when the Joe Biden administration mandated businesses with 100 or more employees to require all employees to be vaccinated. However, this measure is currently on hold by a federal court.

As the pandemic prolongs, the U.S. information technology (IT) industry continues to delay office return schedules, but CNBC reported that Google plans to have employees come to the office at least three times a week at some point in the new year.

Also, the policy to fire employees who do not get vaccinated is a rather strict measure in the IT industry, where many companies plan to maintain remote work even after the pandemic.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.