Google is telling its workers that if they fail to meet the company's COVID-19 vaccination mandate, they will lose pay and eventually be terminated, CNBC reported Dec. 14.
Google's 150,000 employees were given until Dec. 3 to declare their vaccination status and upload proof of documentation to its internal systems, according to internal documents obtained by CNBC. After Dec. 3, Google said it would start contacting employees who hadn't uploaded their status or were unvaccinated, as well as workers who did not have approved exemption requests.
The memo circulated by Google's leadership said employees who fail to comply with the vaccination requirements by Jan. 18 will be placed on "paid administrative leave" for 30 days. If the employee still did not meet compliance, they will be put on "unpaid personal leave" for up to six months, followed by being fired.
Google did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.
Last month, at least 600 Google employees signed a manifesto protesting the tech giant's vaccination requirements. The manifesto asked Google leaders to create a new vaccination mandate that is "inclusive of all Googlers" and argued that the company shouldn't have a record of employees' vaccination status.
Google's latest guidance offers options for those who do not want to get vaccinated, including permanent remote work options for potential roles that can be performed outside of the office. However, these positions must not fall under the scope of the Biden administration's executive order, which required U.S. companies with 100 or more workers to ensure that their staff is fully vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 by Jan. 18.
"We expect that almost all roles at Google in the U.S. will fall within the scope of the executive order," Google's memo said, according to the report. "Anyone entering a Google building must be fully vaccinated or have an approved accommodation that allows them to work or come on-site," and "frequent testing is not a valid alternative to vaccination."
Google plans to require employees to come back to physical offices three days a week at some point in the new year, CNBC reported.