Beginning October 11, You Won’t Get Into Deloitte US Offices Without a COVID Vaccine

In a firmwide email today, Deloitte US announced that the firm is strongly suggesting its 113,257 people get their Rona jabs if they haven’t already, and should they not do so, they can expect to be shut out from Deloitte offices beginning October 11. The “no shirt, no shoes, no vaccine, no service” policy has already been announced for access to Deloitte University, and takes effect September 7.

You can find a discussion on Deloitte’s new vaccine mandate on Reddit here, and we have sourced the email in its entirety for you below.

The transcript of the email is as follows (I’m actually typing this out, please forgive any typos from these old, arthritic hands of mine):

Subject: Update on our gradual hybrid plans, as well as vaccine guidelines

US colleagues,

Thank you for your continued brilliant work during these unprecedented times. We recognize that the current COVID-19 environment is unsettling and continues to evolve; we are continuously monitoring the health situation and evaluating our relevant protocols.

As we previously communicated with you, the transition to a hybrid model will be gradual with no abrupt changes to the way we work. Where feasible, we will work to create more in-person opportunities for impactful connection after Labor Day, though this will likely be more gradual than we had hoped due to current circumstances with the Delta variant and the resulting decision by some clients to modify their own plans. To reiterate our consistent message, everyone should feel empowered to work in an environment that fits your comfort level, and we will respect your own workplace choices and preferences during this period as we all learn and adapt together. We appreciate the overwhelmingly positive response from so many of you to the way we are going about this.

In our last message, we also shared our expectations for vaccines, promising detailed guidance would be forthcoming as we evaluated advice from our medical advisors, examined governmental guidance, and monitored marketplace trends. The sciences and data are compelling that being vaccinated matters for ourselves, our colleagues, and our communities. Vaccinations, at this time, are the most effective means of reducing the spread of COVID-19 and substantially reducing the likelihood of serious illness. As reported in the press, the Pfizer vaccine received full FDA approval on Monday. Further, over the past several weeks, we have seen a number of clients, as well as several cities and states, impose restrictions on the ability of those who are unvaccinated to access offices and other public locations. The ability to participate in the broader business ecosystem will be increasingly challenging for those who are not vaccinated. We do however recognize that there are, on occasion, individual circumstances where vaccination is not feasible or likely.

With the above considerations in mind, we seek to achieve vaccination among substantially all of our people, while supporting the small proportion of our PPMDs and professionals who have circumstances that do not make vaccination feasible or likely. We are adopting the following policies:

Vaccine requirement for accessing US Deloitte facilities

We will require PPMDs and professionals to be vaccinated to access US Deloitte facilities. This requirement will take effect on Monday, October 11, which is seven weeks after Monday’s full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine. We will share details soon on how you will attest to your vaccine status on a secure Deloitte site.

We will periodically review our requirement as the pandemic evolves, and make any appropriate adjustments. For anyone not able to access our facilities, we will work to provide virtual options that enable effective participation wherever feasible. If you do not plan to be vaccinated and believe the inability to access our facilities will present a significant challenge for your primary job responsibilities, please reach out to your team leader, resource manager, and/or talent representative.

Also, as previously announced, for Deloitte University this vaccination requirement takes effect September 7. Please know that participation at any events or meetings at Deloitte University is optional based on your comfort level with travel/in-person events. Consistent with our DU vaccine requirement, we will require clients and visitors to acknowledge their understanding of our vaccine policy before entering our facilities via Deloitte’s visitor management system, D.Guest.

Guidelines for accessing client sites and other non-Deloitte venues

Our clients, and other non-Deloitte venues, will vary in their own COVID-19 policies. We will continue to comply with those policies, as well as any state or local requirements. For example, where a client or other non-Deloitte venue requires vaccination, testing, and/or masking as a condition for access, PPMDs and professionals must follow these requirements at all times. Conversely, if a client or other non-Deloitte venue such as a restaurant does not require vaccination as a condition for access, PPMDs and professionals may access the site regardless of their own vaccine status so long as they comply with all applicable protocols imposed by the venue. We will honor the choices of our people about whether they are comfortable going on-site to clients or other non-Deloitte locations such as restaurants that do not require vaccination for access.

Client leaders will continue to evaluate the health and safety protocols of our clients, based on our existing guidelines, and will communicate any client requirements with you.

Certain larger Deloitte-sponsored events, such as conferences, will be subject to the same vaccine access policies as we are putting in place for Deloitte University and our offices, this will be communicated for applicable events.

In closing

We strongly believe this update to our COVID-19 protocols is the right thing to do in the present environment, consistent with our unwavering commitment to place your physical and mental health and well-being at the forefront and to empower you to work in an environment that honors your personal preferences. As always, we appreciate all that you are doing to take great care of each other, our clients, and our communities.

It is our understanding that Deloitte is the first Big 4 firm in the U.S. to roll out a vaccine mandate policy, and we expect the other firms to follow shortly. Although the email doesn’t explicitly say “mandate” and does mention some flexibility with its new policy, it’s doubtful that the vaccine-hesitant will be allowed to work from home indefinitely, though we’d certainly be curious to hear what happens if someone attempts to use their vaccination status to avoid returning to the office. Quick, someone try it and report back.

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