Commercial real estate firm Camden requires COVID vaccines for employees
Camden, a Houston-based owner and operator of apartments across the country, is calling for all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the Delta variant continues to spread.
“We want to do the right thing,” said CEO Ric Campo. “It’s about creating a safe job.”
The company told its employees on Tuesday that all team members must be fully vaccinated by October 11th.
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“We just made the decision to take a stand as a company and we hope other companies will too,” said Campo. “The only way to get this pandemic under control and stop the fourth, fifth or even sixth waves is to draw a line in the sand and say you have a choice of getting vaccinated or elsewhere to work.”
Camden employs 1,700 people at its headquarters and 170 shared apartments, including 500 in Houston.
The decision follows similar mandates from companies across the country including United Airlines, Google and local firms Houston Methodist and ZT Corporate.
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Camden, which has more than 59,000 residential units in Texas, Florida, California and other states, saw an increase in COVID cases among its employees this summer. It made changes during the pandemic with the aim of ensuring the safety of employees and residents of its homes.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, apartment workers have been considered indispensable and have stayed on site. The demands on them increased as more people worked from home and procedures were put in place such as: B. Appointments at the leasing office, social distancing, and wearing masks, Campo said.
The company has encouraged its employees to get vaccinated and share facts to combat misinformation on social media. Campo encourages employees who have concerns to speak to their doctors.
Human Resources will consider religious and disability-related exceptions, said Julie Keel, vice president of marketing at Camden. The exempt employees must wear a mask, test weekly and apply for the exemption again every 90 days.
The company’s Greenway Plaza corporate offices work either in the office or remotely. Camden was named # 1 Houston Chronicle Top Workplaces winners among Great Employers in 2020. The publicly traded company was ranked 8th among Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work.
The forecast comes as the positive test rate for COVID-19 in Texas hit 17.9 percent on Aug. 16, down from 10.4 percent a month earlier, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
In Texas, 54.6 residents were fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health. Experts say that more than 75 percent of the population would need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
While the feedback from employees has been mostly positive, Campo admitted that there could be some setbacks.
“I don’t think there would be very many people who would choose the other option and just work elsewhere,” said Campo.