It’s been two years since the world was abruptly impacted by the discovery of covid-19 and as the new year of 2022 has brought new variants and case surges, we are still trying to get ahold of our daily lives with living in this ongoing pandemic. There’s no doubt that three have been many measures taken in attempts to combat the virus and stay safe, and it looks like as the virus continues to become more unbearable, companies are beginning to take matters into their own hands when it comes to employee policy and safety. 

According to a new report from The Oregonian, Nike will begin firing all of their unvaccinated employees this weekend. While Nike’s stance on vaccine mandates may seem a bit forceful, the company has had a  policy in place since October, which stated that any employee who did not receive a medical or religious exemption from vaccinations would be fired on Saturday, January 15th. Based on the report, nearly 120 Nike employees objected to the company mandate, and while there is no indication on how many employees were unvaccinated, legal scholars have stated private employers can adopt government mandates regardless of court ruling. 

Nike previously sent out a “warning email” to unvaccinated employees after they were hoping to return back in office this week, on a hybrid schedule. “You failed to complete the verification process and our records show that you do not have an approved exemption. As a result, you are not in compliance with the policy, and your employment is scheduled to be terminated on Saturday, January 15, 2022,” stated in the email sent out last week.