Citigroup to require U.S. employees be vaccinated against COVID-19

Citigroup will require all of its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, the nation's third-biggest bank said Thursday.

Given the U.S. government is a large client, Citi has an "obligation" to comply with an executive order from the White House requiring that employees supporting government contracts be vaccinated, Sara Wechter, head of human resources at the financial giant, wrote on LinkedIn on Thursday. 

Further, "Having a vaccinated workforce enables us to ensure the health and safety of our colleagues as we return to the office in the U.S.," Wechter stated.

Although other major financial institutions are requiring the shots for new hires or workers returning to the office, Citi is the first major lender to make inoculation against the coronavirus a condition of employment. 

Citi is requesting that its roughly 65,000 workers in the U.S. submit proof of vaccination by December 8, with a $200 bonus offered to those who do, the company said. It has set January 14, 2022, as the last call for employees to comply. Citi runs more than 650 branches in half a dozen metropolitan areas across the country. 

President Biden last month ordered all workers supporting government contracts — along with anyone working in the same offices as those workers — to be fully vaccinated. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high vaccination rates reduce the spread of the coronavirus and helps stem new variants from emerging. Nearly 58% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which has killed more than 740,000 Americans.