Citigroup issued an ultimatum to employees still refusing the vaccine. The New York investment bank is pushing forward with the strict mandate, the first of its kind among huge Wall Street financial companies.
According to the message to staff, workers that don’t comply by the Jan 14 deadline will be placed on unpaid leave, and then terminated at the end of the month. They also clarify that certain employees will only have access to bonus payments if they agree to not pursue legal action against the company.
According to a Citigroup spokeswoman, more than 90% of staffers have complied with the rule and the number is growing. Several employees have decried the mandate publicly, however.
While the deadline is soon approaching now, the mandate was first announced back in October of 2021.
It was widely discussed in comments on one executive’s LinkedIn post. One Citigroup employee Ben Shittu, who is based in Ireland, even made a YouTube video where he said he felt “failed” by his managers due to the mandate.
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Friday for an order from the Biden Administration to require more large employers to require vaccinations or weekly COVID tests, but the conservative-dominated court majority seems likely to strike it down.
Citigroup is a far-reaching company and has branches not only in New York but across the world, and in states such as Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Kentucky, some of which have higher rates of vaccine hesitancy among residents.
It remains to be seen if any Citgroup employees have or will leave their positions over the mandate.
