Jefferies Requiring Covid Vaccines for Employees in Offices

(Bloomberg) -- Jefferies Financial Group Inc. is mandating that employees who wish to return to its offices must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

After hearing from concerned staffers, the New York-based investment bank decided that those who aren’t fully vaccinated will be required to continue to work from home after the Labor Day holiday, Chief Executive Officer Rich Handler and President Brian Friedman said in a memo on the firm’s website.

“We are giving everyone notice now, so if you have postponed getting vaccinated and wish to come to the office, please get the process started ASAP,” they wrote. “These protocols will best protect the vast majority of Jefferies people and our family members.”

Jefferies has had 40 new cases of Covid this month, including two short hospitalizations, according to the memo. Most cases were mild and staffers recovered quickly. More than 90% of the employees who contracted the coronavirus were vaccinated, Handler and Friedman said.

Until the world is closer to being fully vaccinated, the highly contagious delta variant that’s causing cases to spike in the U.S. may be followed by “many additional letters denominating new variants,” the executives wrote.

The firm’s vaccine decision comes after technology giants from Alphabet Inc.’s Google to Facebook Inc. have announced similar measures. Citigroup Inc. this week has gone back to requiring employees -- regardless of their vaccination status -- to wear masks in the office.

“We will closely monitor the situation and be ready to pivot and adapt whenever needed,” Handler and Friedman wrote. “This includes rules on masks, allowing for increased flexibility for non-vaxed people when appropriate, and any other aspect of this evolving pandemic.”

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