TJ Maxx & Marshalls Parent to Fire Office Workers Who Do Not Get the Booster Shot
TJX Companies, the parent company of Marshalls and TJ Maxx, is the latest company to double down on its vaccine mandate for employees.
The company said on Thursday that its U.S.-based office employees must receive a booster shot by Feb. 1 in order to remain employed at the company. The mandate applies to all eligible office-based employees and does not include store or distribution center workers.
“Receiving a booster vaccine will be a condition of employment for our U.S. Office Associates,” a TJX Companies spokesperson told FN in a statement. “Accommodations can be requested by those who cannot be vaccinated due to qualified medical or religious reasons. Of course, we will continue to monitor vaccine guidance and may make adjustments as we believe it is appropriate to do so.”
According to the spokesperson, some flexibility will be offered to employees who are in the process of getting vaccinated or boosted.
The Framingham, Mass.-based company in December became one of the first major companies to require eligible office employees to obtain a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine to return to work. At the time of the announcement, there was no mention of termination for failing to comply. The company previously mandated that all U.S. home and regional office associates be fully vaccinated by November 1.
President Biden’s mandate that businesses with 100 or more employees must require vaccinations or weekly COVID-19 tests for employees is still pending approval in the Supreme Court. But many businesses have implemented their own vaccine mandates, as others await guidance on how to proceed.
Columbia Sportswear’s chief human resources officer Richelle Luther told FN on Thursday that all office-based employees who fail to get vaccinated by Feb. 1 will be placed on a leave of absence until they get the vaccine. If they do not get vaccinated, they will be terminated. The mandate currently applies only to corporate office-based employees and excludes retail and distribution center workers.
According to a report, Nike is also terminating employees if they are not vaccinated by Jan. 15. Neither Nike nor Columbia specifically mentioned the booster in their mandates.
