Morgan Stanley mandates staff vaccinations

AFP – The US bank Morgan Stanley will impose restrictions on its employees and suppliers, but also on customers and visitors, who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus if they want to enter its offices in New York.

This new rule was presented in an internal message signed by the company’s head of human resources, Mandell Crawley, a source close to the business bank told AFP on Wednesday.

The provision will apply to offices that receive a significant number of people in the metropolis and its surroundings. Some divisions created spaces reserved for vaccinated people, said this source. It is then a matter of extending the measure to all services.

Employees will have until July 1 to say whether or not they are vaccinated against Covid-19.

Bank president James Gorman indicated last week that 90% of staff returning to offices are already vaccinated, and he expects this number to rise to 98% or 99%. For the 1% or 2% who cannot for medical or religious reasons, “we will take care of” when that level is reached, he said.

Once the new rule is implemented, employees will be able to drop the mask and physical distancing rules. People who do not get vaccinated will be telecommuting.

To enter the bank’s premises, customers and visitors must declare on their honor that they are immunized against covid 19.

From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, American companies are reflecting on the new working conditions.

According to the federal agency in charge of respecting the law against discrimination in the workplace (EEOC), employers can force their employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, with the exceptions for medical reasons or religious objection.

They can also request proof of immunization but should keep this information confidential.

Portfolio manager BlackRock took steps in this direction across the United States. After internal consultations, the company chose to authorize only vaccinated employees to go to the office starting in July, according to a memorandum sent last week and consulted by AFP.

Without asking for justification, but counting on their “honesty”, the company also asked employees to indicate whether or not they are vaccinated.

On the other hand, visitors must “verify” that they are vaccinated if they want to enter the firm. “They are asked to bring proof of vaccination with them,” a spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.

Goldman Sachs also requires its employees to report their vaccine status, without imposing immunization on them.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America encourage their officials to get vaccinated and to inform the company, without it being mandatory.

Citi did not elaborate on the matter, referring only to a message from the human resources manager that masks and social distancing measures are mandatory.