Bangor Savings Bank tells workers: Roll up your sleeve, get $500

File Photo / Peter Van Allen Bangor Savings Bank, whose headquarters on the city's waterfront are shown here, is paying its employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

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By William Hall

While 400,000 Mainers have already chosen to get at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Bangor Savings Bank is giving its employees an incentive to: $500.

Bangor Savings, the largest Maine-based bank by assets, will pay that sum to each worker who receives a full vaccination.

“Having as many of our 1,100-plus employees get vaccinated will help us achieve herd immunity,” Bangor Savings Senior Vice President Isla Dickerson told Mainebiz on Friday. “The three vaccines currently being offered provide an effective defense against COVID-19, and supporting our employees in becoming vaccinated will help keep each other, our customers, and our communities safe.”

Few Maine companies appear to be paying workers to get the potentially lifesaving medications. But other employers are offering incentives for vaccination, and the use of perks in general has provoked concerns among businesses nationwide.

Earlier this month, the University of Maine began offering employees two hours of paid administrative leave time in order to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Major companies with a Maine presence, including Dollar General, McDonald’s, Target and Trader Joe’s, also offer paid time off to employees who roll up their sleeves.

Instacart, the San Francisco grocery delivery service that’s become popular in Maine and nationwide during the pandemic, offers its gig workers a $25 “vaccine support stipend.”

Rewards like these have been typically welcomed by employees and the public. But some employers worry the incentives could create legal liabilities.

Dozens of business groups last month penned a letter to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, asking whether the rewards run the risk of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act or other laws. The EEOC has guidelines about the size and types of incentives that can be used, and for what types of health promotion.

“Employer-provided incentives can assist governments in quickly and efficiently distributing vaccines. Legal uncertainty about providing such incentives, however, has many employers concerned over liability and has made them hesitant to act,” read the letter.

It was signed by 42 national groups including the Associated General Contractors, National Association of Manufacturers, National Retail Federation, Society for Human Resource Management and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The groups also said that current federal policies on wellness incentives may not be applicable to the vaccines, and require separate guidance.

“We recognize that wellness incentives have been closely scrutinized over the years and are the subject of recent regulations. We believe, however, that the paramount needs of the current crisis can be distinguished from wellness programs.”

Dickerson, however, said the COVID cash is similar to other measures employers take to promote employee health.

“Incentivizing employees to get a vaccine is just like incentivizing flu shots, taking part in health/risk assessments, or using a Fitbit,” she said. “This is no different. But given how deadly COVID-19 has been, the stakes are much higher.”