Google —Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)— has made an unprecedented decision. The company will put pressure on employees who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, to the point of contemplating dismissals. This is the strongest measure by any other tech giant.
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Extreme Measures
As reported by The Verge, “The policy will reportedly affect employees that would have fallen under the jurisdiction of President Biden’s vaccine mandate, which is currently facing challenges in the Senate and court system.”
CNBC had access to an internal memo that explains the entire procedure Google will follow in the event of an employee blatantly refusing to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
"Anyone entering a Google building must be fully vaccinated or have an approved permit that allows them to work from the office," the document says. It also specifies that constant testing for Covid is not a valid option.
According to the memo, Google employees should have been vaccinated by December 3. If they did not comply, they can provide an exemption for medical or religious reasons. However, this period has been extended until next January 18.
“As we’ve stated before, our vaccination requirements are one of the most important ways we can keep our workforce safe and keep our services running. We’re committed to doing everything possible to help our employees who can get vaccinated do so, and firmly stand behind our vaccination policy,” a Google spokesperson said.
Directives
Employees who have not yet provided a vaccination certificate or exemption by January 18 will be put on paid leave for 30 days, The Verge reports. However, if employees do not comply with the directive, the leave will go unpaid and will extend to six months.
Once this period ends and employees remain unvaccinated or unable to present a valid exemption, they will be permanently dismissed.
Not all workers have willingly accepted the standard set by CEO Sundar Pichai. Some of them have signed a manifesto to express their outright rejection of the veiled imposition.
Recently, it was known that Google delayed the return of its employees to the office due to the omicron variant. This way, the company's facilities are expected to return to normal activity for three days a week from January 10.
Google is part of the Entrepreneur Index, which tracks 60 of the largest publicly traded companies managed by their founders or their founders' families.
