People walk out of a building in Taiwan.
According to a report from CNBC, employees of the search engine will have to prove they have been protected against the vaccine or be granted an exemption by January 18.
An internal memo told employees to be aware of the policy on December 3, but news of the requirement broke late Tuesday. If employees don't show proof of vaccine by that time, they will be placed on administrative leave for 30 days and then on personal leave for six months. They will be fired if they don't show proof of vaccine after seven months.
The memo said that almost all roles at the company will fall within the scope of the executive order. Anyone who wants to work or come to work in a building must have an approved accommodation that allows them to do so.
It saidFrequent testing is not a valid alternative to vaccination.
A federal court declined to lift a stay on President Joe Biden's executive order that directed large companies to require vaccine for employees. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the matter, but a recent memo from the company suggests that it will continue with its requirement.
The vaccination requirements are one of the most important ways that the company can keep its workforce safe and keep its services running. We are committed to doing everything we can to help our employees who are able to get vaccine, and we will stand behind our policy.
Advertisement
When President Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Health and Safety Act in 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was given the authority to implement workplace safety standards.
The plan to reopen offices is part of a plan to limit the impact of COVID in communities where employees live and work. In an October email obtained by CNBC, Chris Rackow, a vice president of security at Google, said that vaccines are key to the company's ability to enable a safe return to office for everyone.
The company says its work with the federal government is one of the reasons behind the requirement. Government contracts touch nearly every part of the company either directly or indirectly, according to Rackow.
Employees who don't get vaccinations can apply for exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Employees who do not receive an exemption will keep their benefits for 92 days. The company said that workers could search for other roles in the company that wouldn't fall under the executive order and would be eligible for remote work.
It is not clear how many positions would meet those criteria, but based on the memo, there probably aren't many.
Not many employees of the company seem opposed to the requirement. 600 workers signed a "manifesto" asking the company to stop requiring them. That is just a small portion of the 150,000 employees at the company.
