Nine months after imposing them, all of Canada’s Big Five banks have suspended or removed mandatory vaccine requirements for staff, amid the broader lifting of COVID-19 restrictions across the country.
Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of Montreal and Toronto-Dominion Bank all lifted their compulsory vaccine policies for employees over the past six weeks, allowing unvaccinated people to work in offices and branches without being subject to additional safety measures such as rapid testing.
All of the five largest banks took a firm stand on vaccines last August, requiring staff to attest that they were fully vaccinated by a certain date in order to enter any bank premises. Some, such as CIBC and BMO, made it compulsory for all employees, even those who worked from home, to be vaccinated.
But public-health restrictions, such as gathering limits, masking and vaccine mandates across provinces, have since eased, and banks appear to be changing their policies accordingly.
“It was becoming increasingly more challenging to have a higher standard of what was required from employees in the workplace, than what was in broader society,” said Helena Gottschling, RBC’s chief human resources officer, in reference to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
RBC suspended its vaccine requirement on May 23 for American and Canadian staff after consulting with public-health officials, Ms. Gottschling said.
“We have very high vaccination rates at...
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