RBC makes COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all employees

A person walks by the Royal Bank of Canada building on King Street during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Nathan Denette)

TORONTO -

Royal Bank of Canada is the latest institution to mandate vaccinations for all of its employees.

RBC sent a letter to its staff Thursday afternoon saying all workers will have to be fully vaccinated to work on their premises.

All RBC employees in Canada and the United States who are eligible for a vaccine will be required to have two doses by Oct. 31.

“As a next step, we will ask all employees to confirm their vaccination status by completing an attestation, beginning in Canada and the U.S., followed by other regions where applicable,” Helena Gottschling, RBC chief human resources officer wrote.

Gottschling said employees will receive further instructions in the week of August 30.

She also noted that RBC is aware about the varying vaccination situation in the many countries that RBC serves and will keep this in mind while finalizing its policy.

“COVID-19 is an evolving issue and, with locations in 36 countries with different regulations, we recognize there are global differences in vaccine deployment efforts and access, and that some employees are not able to get the vaccine. We will be working through our approach with these situations in mind,” she wrote.

RBC’s decision to mandate vaccines comes a day after mandatory vaccination policies were announced by the City of Toronto, Toronto Transit Commission and The Hospital for Sick Children.