Employees at Hillsdale’s Kroger store will face monetary penalties if they do not receive the COVID-19 vaccine under a nationwide company policy that took effect on Jan. 1. Additionally, starting in February, the company will require unvaccinated employees to be tested for the virus weekly.
Taylor Cole, assistant store manager at Kroger in Hillsdale, said salaried workers who are not vaccinated will also face monetary penalties totaling up to $600 per year following the new policy. He said hourly workers will not be effected by the penalties, but will still be subject to weekly testing beginning in February.
Until Jan. 28, vaccinated employees can report their vaccination status to the company to receive a $100 bonus in the form of gift cards or a direct deposit, according to Cole. This has been in effect since February 2021, according to a news release.
“We don’t force everyone to have a vaccine,” Cole said. “Our weekly testing policy will go into effect in February so everyone that is not vaccinated will have to be tested every week.”
According to a 2020 news release published before the policy change, all employees who contracted the virus were entitled to up to two weeks of paid leave if placed under quarantine by a medical provider.
COVID-19 paid emergency leave is no longer available for unvaccinated employees under the Jan. 1 policy, according to a Kroger customer service spokesperson. The company will still offer earned paid time off and unpaid leave for unvaccinated employees who contract the virus. Paid emergency leave is still available for fully vaccinated employees with extreme cases of COVID-19.