General Motors Co. has required all U.S. salaried workers to report their Covid-19 vaccination status as more companies confront the thorny question of how to assess workforce immunity.
GM earlier this month required all of its roughly 48,000 U.S. white-collar workers to disclose, confidentially through the company’s intranet, whether they have been immunized, a GM spokesman said Thursday. Those who answered yes were required to submit proof of vaccination by this past Monday, he said.
GM hasn’t required employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine. In its earlier note to workers, GM said the disclosures would help the company determine the overall immunity of its workforce and guide its safety protocols.
“The level of immunity is an important factor in determining when GM may need to increase or be able to relax or rescind certain Covid-19 safety protocols," said Dr. Jeffrey Hess, GM’s corporate medical director, in a statement from the company.
The requirement to disclose vaccination status doesn’t apply to GM’s 46,000 U.S. factory workers, who are represented by the United Auto Workers. Such a requirement would likely be subject to negotiation with the union.
Companies have taken different approaches to the topic of vaccinations, which has moved to the fore in recent weeks as infection rates and hospitalizations rise amid the spread of the Delta variant. Some that previously offered incentives to entice people to get the vaccine have implemented more stringent policies, such as asking workers to disclose whether they are vaccinated or requiring them to get the shot.
Facebook Inc.and Alphabet Inc.’s Google have said that they will require that all employees at their U.S. campuses be vaccinated. Delta Air Lines Inc. this week said unvaccinated workers would be assessed a $200 monthly health-insurance surcharge.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. initially asked their employees to disclose their vaccination status, but this week said employees and visitors entering its U.S. offices beginning Sept. 7 must be vaccinated.
GM and rivals Ford Motor Co. and Jeep-maker Stellantis N.V. early this month reinstated mask mandates across their workforces globally, including in factories. The companies decided jointly with the UAW to return to masks.
This month, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra in a media briefing declined to say whether GM was considering a vaccine mandate, but said the company was evaluating different approaches to keep employees safe.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text
