Whirlpool Corp. has announced it is offering to pay employees a $1,000 incentive to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as pressure mounts on businesses across America to boost vaccination rates among workers.
The new ruling could potentially affect tens of millions of U.S. private-sector employees and health care workers, and businesses that do not comply with Biden’s directive could face fines of up to $14,000 per violation.
Chad Parks, a Whirlpool spokesman, in a statement to CNN, said the vaccine bonus will apply to employees who were previously vaccinated as well as those who are newly vaccinated.
“Our employees’ health and safety remain our top priority,” Whirlpool said. “Throughout this pandemic, they have been working tirelessly to serve our consumers, who are depending on our products more than ever to clean, cook, and provide proper food and medicine storage in their homes, and we are working to ensure we can deliver.”
Whirlpool was already offering employees a smaller incentive but rolled out the new $1,000 bonus last week. Parks declined to comment on how much the previous incentive was for.
The sharp incentive increase comes amid a rise in the number of job openings posted on the Indeed hiring platform stipulating COVID-19 vaccines as a condition of employment, even in sectors that don’t normally require vaccination.
Meanwhile, the share of job postings stating vaccines are required but not explicitly specifying COVID-19 rose by 90 percent over the same period.
Whirlpool is just one of the latest companies to issue high incentives for employees in an effort to get them vaccinated.
Kroger has said vaccinated employees will get a one-time payment of $100, while Bolthouse Farms offered a $500 bonus.