T-Mobile’s Chief Human Resources Officer Deeanne King sent an e-mail to all employees last Friday, telling them that the vast majority of employees must be fully vaccinated by April 2, or they will lose their jobs.
Employees must upload proof of vaccination into a T-Mobile portal and obtain a digital Magenta Pass. Employees who have not yet taken action to receive their first dose and upload proof by February 21 will be placed on unpaid leave.
“Affected employees who do not become fully vaccinated and obtain a Magenta Pass by April 2 will be separated from T-Mobile,” stated King in the email seen by Fierce Wireless.
T-Mobile’s policy applies to all employees who need regular or occasional access to its vaccinated, badge-controlled office spaces. And that includes hybrid and mostly remote employees. “That means it includes everyone at T-Mobile, with the exception of a few job titles like Retail Mobile Expert and Field Technician roles,” stated King.
There are some exceptions for employees who have a pending or approved medical, religious or state-specific exemption.
In September 2021 T-Mobile set a vaccine policy that its badge-controlled office locations would only be open to those who were fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
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Since then, the Covid virus has created a roller-coaster ride of rises and falls in Covid cases. At the same time the Biden Administration attempted to create some vaccine mandates for federal workers and employees of large corporations. But those mandates were struck down by the courts. Now, it’s up to individual companies to set their own vaccine policies.
T-Mobile’s vaccine policy is a little different for its retail and customer service centers than for its badge-controlled locations.
King said, “In Retail, where we don't have control of who enters, our Mobile Experts have served customers incredibly well throughout the pandemic. We’ll continue to take precautions like masking and encourage Mobile Experts to be vaccinated, but not require it.”
At T-Mobile’s Customer Experience Centers, employees are being asked to provide first dose vaccination proof by February 21, but they will not be placed on unpaid leave. “Instead, we’re looking ahead to bringing every employee back into the CECs in a hybrid or fully onsite position starting April 2, at which time proof of vaccination or a pending or approved accommodation or exemption will be needed,” stated King.
She said T-Mobile weighed its decision carefully and determined it’s the right thing to do to help save lives and prevent serious illness. The company also acknowledges that some people will leave T-Mobile rather than get the vaccine. “We understand that for some, this means you must make a deeply personal decision,” she said.
T-Mobile’s President of Technology Neville Ray sent his own email, saying that the new vaccine requirement applies to all of the company’s technology organization in all of its facilities across the country, including its switch and data centers – with one exception. The exemption for its Field Technicians remains in place based on the nature of their jobs and the fact that their work and interactions primarily occur in environments less controlled by T-Mobile.