 |
| Unvaccinated Intel employees are subject to unpaid leave |
Intel has notified employees that anyone who has not been vaccinated needs to have a coronavirus vaccine or file an exemption by January 4th, citing a government mandate for federal contractors.
Otherwise, according to the Associated Press and the Oregonians, employees at the California semiconductor company will be given unpaid leave.
In a report released on December 7, Intel's director of human resources, Kristi Pampianki, said unvaccinated employees should request an exemption or take weekly tests, even if they are working from home.
He also reportedly told employees that the company is reviewing medical and religious exemptions until March 15 of next year.
Last month, the company set the vaccine deadline for January 4. However, he did not specify what would happen if the non-vaccinated staff did not comply.
Bambiaki's memo states that from April 4, the worker will have at least three months of unpaid leave and will not be fired if the exemption is not granted. It also stated that Intel will continue to provide medical benefits to people who are on leave.
Intel's vaccine requirements were created to meet President Joe Biden's approval of the vaccine for companies with more than 100 employees. However, the Federal Court of Justice still questions whether this set of powers is constitutional.
"We are closely monitoring the legal environment, and the Georgia case and other similar cases are expected to take some time to fully resolve," Intel said in a statement received from the Oregonian.
Until January 4 in front of Intel employees
Google has also started cracking down on unvaccinated employees. They say they get 30 days of administrative leave if they are not vaccinated or exempt before January 13th.
If they are not vaccinated after 30 days, they can get unpaid leave or even layoffs, which is different at Intel.
Microsoft and Facebook are also enforcing vaccination regulations. Both companies require employees to be vaccinated before reopening their offices, and both companies are delaying this until 2022.
Compared to its top tech peers, Apple hasn't gone any further. Although the company does not have permission to specify the vaccine. However, employees should be regularly tested for the coronavirus.