HERSHEY, Pa. (WHTM) – Salaried employees at The Hershey Company who did not comply with the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate or receive an accommodation have been “separated from the company,” according to a Hershey spokesperson.

Hershey announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for salary employees in August 2021 and the mandate went into effect on Oct. 4, 2021.

According to a spokesperson, a “small number” of salary employees were impacted by the policy. The company did not confirm the exact number of employees affected or where they were based.

The policy is not believed to have impacted factory employees and will only cover salary employees.

Hershey’s full statement regarding their vaccine mandate can be read below:

Hershey is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our employees and our customers.  We believe that the best way to protect the health and safety of our employees, their families and our various business partners is to ensure that our salaried employees are vaccinated against COVID-19.  This is to reduce the spread of the virus and the potential for serious disease or death.

In August, we announced a safety requirement that corporate office employees would be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  The effective date of the policy was October 4, 2021.  To support this, the company sponsored multiple vaccination clinics and allowed employees to seek accommodations for religious or medical reasons. The company has engaged in an interactive process with our employees to evaluate when an accommodation with regard to vaccination status is needed or warranted.

A small number of individuals who did not get vaccinated were separated from the company.

Hershey spokesperson

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