For employees who opt to work from office, the reopening
date has been delayed to March 28 from the earlier plan of Jan. 31, the tech
giant said on Monday.
All workers returning to office will have to present proof
of their booster jabs, while the company closely monitors the Omicron variant
situation, it said. Meta currently requires all its U.S. employees coming to
office to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Employees have until March 14 to decide whether to return to
the office, request to work remotely full time or request to work from home
temporarily.
Employees who are not vaccinated for medical or religious
reasons can request such remote work, a spokesperson said. "Employees who
take no action can face disciplinary measures, including termination.
Obviously, this would be a last resort," the spokesperson said by email.
Corporate America has doubled down on vaccination mandates
and delayed back-to-office plans as the Omicron variant drives up infections to
record levels across the country.
Last week, Citigroup said its U.S. staff who have not been
vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 14 will be placed on unpaid leave and fired
at the end of the month.
In December, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and
WhatsApp had offered an option to defer returning to office. -Reuters