The online grocery app Grofers has decided to cover COVID-19 vaccination costs of its 25,000 employees across 38 cities. The company will also cover vaccination costs for the family members of its employees and the company's contractual workforce.
Grofers will also reimburse costs incurred towards COVID-19 vaccination for those who get it through personal arrangements. The company will begin by covering costs for its employees and their family members aged above 45 years in keeping with the Centre's guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination. Grofers will cover vaccination costs for its remaining workforce and their family members after the government allows immunisation for the remaining age groups.
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Employees will also get extra sick leave to manage any post-vaccine adverse effects. Grofers' HR head Ankush Arora said, "Our team has been there with us through these challenging times and by ensuring their vaccination cost, we want to ensure their safety and health, along with the well-being of their loved ones and dependents... Serving our customers and community at large has been the core of our business, and during the pandemic, it has become even more critical as we are an essential service provider."
Companies like Flipkart, Xiaomi, Swiggy, Capgemini, Accenture, Reliance Industries, Mindtree and TVS Motor Company have also committed to covering the COVID-19 vaccination costs for their employees and their family members.
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Currently, people above 60 years of age and those over 45 years but with co-morbidities are being immunised in the second phase of the nationwide inoculation drive, which started on March 1. People above the age of 45 years will be eligible for getting the COVID-19 vaccine from April 1.
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