Walmart Inc., the largest private employer in the U.S., is requiring its headquarters and regional staff to be vaccinated by Oct. 4, joining Alphabet Inc.’s Google in instituting a policy that other big companies may soon follow as the delta variant continues to spread.
The mandate covers all campus staff, as well as market, regional and divisional employees who work in multiple facilities, CEO Doug McMillon said in a memo Friday. A Walmart spokesman couldn’t immediately say how many people that entails. The policy includes all new hires as well. Walmart separately told its frontline store and warehouse associates Friday to don masks again and doubled the cash incentive it’s providing for employees to get vaccinated to $150.
“The pandemic is not over, and the delta variant has led to an increase in infection rates across much of the U.S.,” McMillon said in the memo. “We have made the decision to require all campus office associates and all market, regional and divisional associates who work in multiple facilities to be vaccinated by Oct. 4, unless they have an approved exception.”
