Davis Polk To Deactivate Building ID Cards Of Unvaccinated Lawyers And Staff

The compensation leader is using a strict 'vax or GTFO' method when it comes to its vaccine policy.

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Want to go back to the office? If you’re an employee at Davis Polk, that means you’d better be fully vaccinated — as soon as possible — because without proof, you will not be welcomed back to the firm. In fact, you won’t even be able to get inside the building because your access pass will be deactivated.

It turns out Davis Polk isn’t just a leader when it comes to compensation, but the firm is also a leader when it comes to the ramifications of going unvaccinated during the pandemic.

Many firms that have added vaccination protocol to their reopening plans have stated that the unvaccinated will not be allowed through their doors, but Davis Polk is the first firm we know of to put those words into action. If employees do not complete a vaccination attestation — which will include the type of vaccine received, dates of vaccination, and the vaccine lot number — by 11:59 p.m. on September 12, 2021, their Davis Polk ID cards will be deactivated and they will not be allowed to enter the building.

Davis Polk is still planning to reopen on September 13, and in a memo to all employees sent earlier today, managing partner Neil Barr said that while medical or religious vaccine exception requests would be reviewed, there is “no guarantee that a request will be granted.” Excluding a medical or religious reason, “no exceptions to the vaccination policy will be permitted.”

“We continue to monitor developments related to the Delta variant. We will apprise you of any changes in our return to office policy as circumstances dictate. For now, U.S. office personnel should plan to be present in the office during the week of September 13,” Barr’s memo said, adding, “I hope that this COVID-19 vaccination policy provides an additional layer of assurance to you and your families.”

With it’s strict vaccination policy, Davis Polk is making great efforts to protect its employees during these unprecedented times.

Will your firm be changing its plans when it comes to vaccination for attorneys and staff thanks to the Delta variant? Please let us know. The more information is out there, the more likely it is that firms will be able to establish a market standard for a return to the office.

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As soon as you find out about the reopening plan at your firm, please email us (subject line: “[Firm Name] Office Reopening”) or text us at (646) 820-8477. We always keep our sources on stories anonymous. There’s no need to send a memo (if one exists) using your firm email account; your personal email account is fine. If a memo has been circulated, please be sure to include it as proof; we like to post complete memos as a service to our readers. You can take a photo of the memo and attach as a picture if you are worried about metadata in a PDF or Word file. Thanks.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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