Cox Automotive‘s parent company will require employees in some of its locations to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-October or face termination, Automotive News has learned.
Cox Enterprises, which includes dealership technology unit Cox Automotive, set an Oct. 18 deadline for employees in certain locations to receive full vaccination against COVID-19, with an exception for approved religious and medical reasons, the company said Thursday in a statement provided to Automotive News.
Atlanta-based Cox declined to disclose the company locations covered by the vaccine requirement or specify how it will determine what qualifies as an approved exemption.
“With the rapid spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, vaccines are an important step to protect the health and safety of our employees, families, customers and communities,” Cox said in the statement. “We will continue to follow the guidance of federal, state and local health officials to assess our markets as the situation evolves.”
A frequently-asked-questions document detailing the policy dated Aug. 26 was shared on Twitter. Automotive News separately obtained a copy of a letter sent to employees signed by Cox Automotive President Steve Rowley and Chief People Officer Michele Parks.
The documents noted that employees covered by the requirement who are not fully vaccinated and who have not received an exemption by Oct. 18 will be subject to a separation process that will not include severance pay, subsidized COBRA health coverage or paid outplacement services. Automotive News confirmed the documents’ authenticity with a person familiar with the plans.
“Employees will be given a two-week notification period after which they will be separated,” one of the documents states. “If during this period an employee decides to be vaccinated and submits proof of having completed the first shot, the separation date will be suspended and the employee will be allowed an additional four weeks to obtain proof of full vaccination. If the employee does not complete the full vaccination, the employee will be separated.”
Cox Enterprises, in a recruiting post on its careers page, wrote that as of Oct. 18, “we will require anyone wishing to work in or visit any of our highly concentrated administrative offices – including our Atlanta campus and surrounding buildings – to be fully vaccinated.” It was unclear Friday which locations would not require vaccinations.
Cox Automotive owns multiple retail brands, including Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, VinSolutions and Manheim. Wholesale auction provider Manheim has 111 auction locations, including 76 physical sites and other mobile and digital locations, in the U.S. It was unclear Friday whether the Manheim locations are included in the vaccine requirement.
Cox Automotive employs more than 27,000 people globally.