Citigroup Inc on Friday told its staff that it would terminate employees who are unvaccinated as of Jan. 14, enforcing a policy previously announced last year, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The bank is the first major Wall Street institution to begin enforcing a “no-jab, no job” policy, as the financial industry grapples with how to safely bring workers back to the office amid the spread of the highly infectious Omicron COVID variant.
Citigroup said in October it would require U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of their employment.
The bank said at the time it was complying with the Biden administration policy requiring all workers supporting government contracts to be fully vaccinated, as the government remains a “large and important” client of Citi, said Sara Wechter, head of human resources, in a LinkedIn post.
Bloomberg first reported the bank’s Jan. 14 deadline on Friday.
However, the bank said at the time it will assess exemptions on religious or medical grounds, or any other accommodation by state or local law, on a case-to-case basis.
Several financial companies have pushed back their return-to-office plans, while others are encouraging staff to work from home, get vaccinated, and do regular testing.
