T-Mobile to fire corporate employees who don’t get vaccinated by April
US-based mobile telecommunication company T-Mobile US Inc. will terminate corporate employees who do not get fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by April 2, says a Bloomberg report.
“Affected employees who do not become fully vaccinated and obtain a Magenta Pass by April 2 will be separated from T-Mobile,” Bloomberg cited Deeanne King, T-Mobile’s chief human resources officer, as saying in a lengthy company memo to the staff.
The vaccine mandate and decision to terminate unvaccinated employees won’t apply to field technicians and most in-store retail roles, however, the company is encouraging the shots and regular testing for those workers, the memo added.
“While we hope every affected employee will be vaccinated and return to their workplace, we understand that for some, this means you must make a deeply personal decision,” King wrote.
King also said that office employees who haven’t received their first dose of a vaccine by February 21 will be placed on unpaid leave. The policy will apply to all employees who need regular or occasional access to T-Mobile’s offices, which includes almost all staff.
To avoid impact on customer experience, the rules will be slightly different from those in customer service centers. Support employees will still have to show proof of the first dose of a vaccine by February 21, but they will not be placed on unpaid leave, the memo said.
T-Mobile confirmed its vaccination deadline for office staff in a statement, the Bloomberg report said.
“T-Mobile’s badge-controlled offices continue to be accessible only to those who are vaccinated against Covid-19 and we have shared with employees that we are requiring office workers to be fully vaccinated by April 2,” it said, with limited exceptions for certain roles, locations and legally mandated accommodations and exemptions.
T-Mobile intends to bring all representatives back to on-site or hybrid work environments by April 21.
The Biden administration last week had repealed the workplace vaccine mandate which required large employers to be vaccinated or regularly tested after the Supreme Court blocked the implementation of the rule.