Northwestern Mutual will require employees who work at its downtown campus and Franklin office to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to work, the Milwaukee-based life insurer’s leadership team told employees in an email Friday.
Employees who are not vaccinated by Aug. 11 will be required to work remotely, according to the email obtained by BizTimes. Employees working in the office through Aug. 10 will be required to follow current safety protocols, including social distancing and wearing masks at all times.
The vaccine policy, which is effective immediately and for the foreseeable future, also extends to contractors, field members and business visitors, Northwestern Mutual told employees in an email. To work on campus, employees must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of full vaccination.
“We are committed to creating a workplace and employee experience that strengthens our culture and drives the performance of our business,” Northwestern Mutual said in a statement Friday. “The health and wellbeing of our workforce will continue to be our highest priority and we believe that vaccination plays a key role in achieving this goal.”
The vaccine requirement only applies to those who opted into Phase II of the company’s return to work strategy – Northwestern Mutual is not mandating that all employees and contractors be vaccinated, according to the email.
“We also recognize that some team members may be unable to be vaccinated yet required to be on campus. We’ll work with you directly to determine the best solution,” Northwestern Mutual said in the email.
Northwestern Mutual has not announced a date for all employees to return to the office. There are currently about 2,200 employees working at Northwestern Mutual’s campuses in Milwaukee, Franklin and New York – a number it expects to increase over time, the spokesperson said.
