IBM US staff must be fully vaccinated by December – or go back to bed without pay

And that's regardless of whether they work from home or are in the office

All IBM employees in America must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 8 – or they’ll be suspended from work with no pay.

“IBM’s health and safety practices are driven by science,” a spokesperson for Big Blue told The Register today.

“Given the continued spread of COVID-19, the local clinical conditions around IBM sites, and the reality that vaccines are readily available nationwide, we will now require all IBM US employees to be fully vaccinated by December 8.

“This applies to IBM US employees regardless of where they work and how often they come into an IBM office. If an employee is not vaccinated by the deadline, they will be put on an unpaid leave of absence as of December 9, 2021.”

The spokesperson said the IT giant had not specified a time frame for how long workers would remain suspended. Big Blue added that employees may apply for religious or medical exemptions.

IBM said it must follow rules set by President Joe Biden, who signed an executive order last month that stated federal contractors and subcontractors must be vaccinated.

As a federal contractor, IBM must comply with Biden’s coronavirus vaccine requirement. And to be sure, all staff need the jab by the deadline whether their work is directly related to the federal government or not.

Red Hat, an IBM-owned software biz, also announced similar measures. President and CEO Paul Cormier told colleagues they must be fully vaccinated by November 29, and must show proof if they want to keep their jobs.

“As a government contractor, Red Hat must and will require all associates and contractors in the United States to be vaccinated,” he said.

“Exceptions will only be granted in very limited circumstances. In keeping with government requirements, frequent testing or recovery from COVID-19 will not be accepted in lieu of vaccination.” ®