The network said on Wednesday that it will give its workers a one-time payment equivalent to four hours of pay after receiving the full vaccination.
“We don’t want our employees to have to choose between getting a vaccine or coming to work.” Dollar General (DG) said in a press release, noting that its hourly workers face obstacles to being vaccinated, such as travel time, fuel consumption or child care needs.
The company, which had 157,000 employees on October 30, considered obtaining the vaccine a “personal decision” and said it would not be necessary.
Its announcement comes at a time when the launch of the vaccine has a slow start in the United States. More than 27.6 million doses of vaccine have been distributed so far, according to CDC data, and more than 9.3 million people have received their first dose. Federal officials said 20 million people would have received their first doses by the end of December.
Dollar General was considered an essential retailer and remained open during the pandemic. Most states are still vaccinating only health professionals, residents and employees in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, according to Kaiser. Essential workers, such as retail and grocery workers, must be vaccinated at later stages of implantation, but their eligibility to receive the vaccine varies by state.
Dollar General is not the only employer to offer financial incentives to workers to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Houston Methodist, a Texas hospital system with more than 26,000 employees, will also offer a $ 500 bonus to workers if they are vaccinated.
CNN’s Christina Maxouris contributed to this article.