Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott International joins companies that will pay employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine, and is encouraging managers to offer flexible time off to get it.
The policy applies to Marriott hotel employees in the U.S. and Canada.
Those Marriott employees who receive a vaccination will get the equivalent of four hours of their standard pay. Marriott is also providing education on the benefits of vaccination and said, while it is encouraging hotel employees to do it, vaccination is not mandated.
“As vaccines become more widely available, this will create a safer environment for all associates, and we believe that consumer confidence to travel again will increase significantly and help the rebound of the travel and tourism sector,” said David Rodriguez, global chief human resources officer at Marriott International.
Marriott cites recent research that indicates half of consumers in the U.S. see vaccine distribution as key to travel, and vaccines are a gating factor to their ability to confidently travel for leisure or business.
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Amtrak is encouraging employees to get vaccinated with the equivalent of two hours of regular wages and allowing excused absences to recover from any side effects.
Several restaurant chains have compensation programs for employees to get vaccinated too, including Olive Garden and Capital Grille owner Darden Restaurants and McDonalds.
Grocery stores and retailers with incentive programs include Trader Joe’s, Lidl, Kroger, Target, Aldi, Dollar General and Instacart, among others.
