London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Citigroup Confronts Vaccine Holdouts In No Jab, No Job Mandate

Citigroup Confronts Vaccine Holdouts In No Jab, No Job Mandate

Office workers who don't comply by Jan. 14 will be placed on unpaid leave, and their last day of employment will come at the end of the month, according to a message to staff seen by Bloomberg.

Citigroup Inc. was the first major Wall Street bank to impose a strict Covid-19 vaccine mandate: Get a shot or face termination. With its deadline fast approaching, the company is preparing for action.

Office workers who don't comply by Jan. 14 will be placed on unpaid leave, and their last day of employment will come at the end of the month, according to a message to staff seen by Bloomberg. While some of the employees will be eligible for certain year-end bonus payments, they'll have to sign an agreement that states they won't pursue legal action against the company to receive the funds, the company said in the message.

"You are welcome to apply for other roles at Citi in the future as long as you are compliant with Citi's vaccination policy," the company said in the memo.

More than 90% of Citigroup's staffers have complied with the rule for U.S. workers, which also allows for employees to apply for religious or medical exemptions, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing private information. While that number continues to rise quickly, the company has had to navigate shifting local laws and is facing public backlash from a handful of employees -- mirroring the vaccine divisivenessplaying out across the country.

A spokeswoman for New York-based Citigroup confirmed that more than 90% of the firm's staffers have complied with the rule and that the figure is climbing rapidly, but declined to comment further.

As the omicron variant roils America's return-to-office plans and workplace vaccine requirements are debated in court, Citigroup's effort to require shots among about 70,000 employees is worth watching because its rules are the sternest so far among major financial companies, an industry that's been keen to bring back workers to their buildings. While rivals such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have some vaccine requirements in place, their policies enable employees to avoid getting the shot if they don't come into offices.

Vaccine mandates have become a fraught issue for employers from hospital operators to police forces and corporations, leading to litigation and resistance from some workers -- though ultimately there has been broad compliance. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Friday on a Biden Administration order for large employers to require vaccinations or weekly Covid tests, meaning more mandates could be coming if the rules proceed.

Companies are rapidly finalizing plans for how to comply, said Melanie Paul, equity principal and co-leader of the workplace safety and health practice group at the law firm Jackson Lewis. Most employers have chosen to make vaccines voluntary and ramp up testing and masking policies, she said.

"It's extremely onerous for employers," Paul said, noting challenges in obtaining tests and tracking the data. "Because of these burdens, there are a lot of employers that are just waiting to see what the Supreme Court does before they go ahead and roll out their plans."

Citigroup's move to outright require shots is particularly complex because the company's presence extends to so many corners of the country -- from Manhattan bankers to tellers at hundreds of local branches to back-office workers in locations across Florida, Texas, Missouri and Kentucky.

The geographic disparities mean contending with an array of rules and political viewpoints. In New York City, workers are subject to a broad private-sector mandate. But in areas such as Florida and Texas, governors have actively spoken out against requiring vaccinations.

Contractor Order


When Citigroup first announced the mandate for all U.S. employees in late October, the lender cited an executive order from President Joe Biden that required all individuals supporting government contracts, as well as anyone who works in the same offices as those employees, to be fully vaccinated. While that order has since faced legal challenges, the bank has pushed ahead with its directive.

While office employees face a Jan. 14 deadline, branch workers were given a different timeline, though they'll ultimately have to comply as well. To boost acceptance, the bank has taken measures including bringing in medical experts to educate staff, holding town halls with human-resources leaders and handing out prizes for vaccinated workers. It also offered paid time off to people getting the shot.

The mandate has reverberated across the company: A LinkedIn post by an executive outlining the policy garnered nearly 700 comments. Some employees cheered the firm's decision and called it a step forward or thanked Citigroup for keeping them and their families safe. But others voiced concerns, arguing this robbed them of freedoms or invaded their privacy.

"I've been sitting at home for two years now, I rarely go to the office, my direct reports are states away -- this felt like a huge overreach," said George Pagano, who spent five years in Citigroup's operations and technology division before departing in November due to the mandate. "When it comes to promoting the company at the expense of having to threaten to fire people the week after Christmas, it just seemed to be a bit too much."

In private chat rooms, employees have traded strategies for having exemptions granted, according to interviews with current and former workers. Others have been more public: Ben Shittu, who works in the technology division of Citigroup's human-resources department in Ireland, made a YouTube video lambasting the mandate.

"I have been compelled to make this video in direct response to the enforcement of a vaccine mandate and possible terminations of core team members and U.S.-based employees within Citigroup," Shittu said in the video. "For those of you that are extremely concerned or feel like you have been failed by your managers, I would like you to know that you are not alone."

Shittu said in a LinkedIn message that he has been contacted by scores of Citigroup employees in the U.S. since posting the video. It has been viewed more than 9,400 times.

Vaccine Acceptance


Evidence is growing that vaccine rules haven't led to major employee defections. Just 3% of employers with mandates in a November surveyby Willis Towers Watson said they had a spike in resignations. United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Tyson Foods Inc., two of the earliest large companies to impose similar rules, reported 99% and 96% compliance near their deadlines.

In New York, unions representing members of the police department warned a city mandate would pull thousands of officers off the streets. When the deadline passed, fewer than three dozen were placed on leave.

Still, employers now are contending with one added complication: the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Breakthrough infections have soared, making a mandate less palatable to those workers already hesitant to get the jab.

It also affects deadlines at companies such as Citigroup. If employees tested positive for the disease in recent weeks and received certain therapies, they have to wait 90 days before they can get vaccinated under guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"With omicron, everyone is getting it, even people who are vaccinated and boosted," said Paul. "That is also now a consideration that employers are thinking about when determining whether they should have a mandatory vaccination policy."

Comments

Oh ya 4 year ago
No job is worth your life. Taking a clot shot is a fools move. Let them fire you and then get a class action lawsuit going. Time to put on your big boy pants and say no it is against the law and against the Nuremberg code.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×