Ryder System announced this week that the company will pay its employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Employees will receive up to six hours of paid time off (PTO) which will include three hours of PTO for the first vaccine and an additional three hours of PTO for those treatments that require a second dose to complete the vaccination process.
Ryder reports that it’s move to pay employees for COVID vaccinations came as a result of its commitment to creating a healthy workforce.
“The health and safety of our employees is our top priority, and we want to provide assurances to our workforce that they don’t need to worry about being penalized either in pay or PTO balance when getting vaccinated,” said Robert Sanchez, Chairman and CEO at Ryder.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, our team has been committed to creating a safe work environment by implementing sanitation stations and contactless interaction with our customers where possible, as well as paying sick leave to employees who have contracted the virus, and this paid vaccine decision was no different,” Sanchez continued. “Two of our core values at Ryder are trust and safety, so it was an easy decision to extend this protection to our workforce.”
Ryder said that it’s not requiring any employee to get the vaccine. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health authorities, Ryder said it is encouraging all employees to take the vaccine as a way to protect themselves, their coworkers, and everyone around them from the COVID-19 virus.
“We’re also working with various governmental agencies, the CDC, and health care professionals to provide as much information as we can to our nearly 40,000 employees about the availability of vaccines,” Sanchez said.
While initial vaccine availability is currently prioritized for the elderly, first responders, medical, and/or school personnel, Ryder is working with industry trade associations and state authorities to have its essential workers prioritized as soon as possible.
