KPMG Australia mandates Covid-19 vaccinations for staff returning to Sydney and Melbourne offices

The big professional services firm is taking a different Covid-19 vaccination position than rivals, with mandatory jabs only required for workers in southern city offices for now.

KPMG Australia national chairman Alison Kitchen said the firm will follow state government health guidelines which includes staff returning to the office be fully vaccinated. Aaron Francis/The Australian

KPMG says it will follow state guidelines mandating staff returning to the office are fully vaccinated, but Covid-19 vaccines will not be compulsory for the its wider workforce.

KPMG Australia national chairman Alison Kitchen said the corporate services firm had not taken the step at this stage to make Covid-19 vaccines compulsory for its entire workforce, and appeared to take a swipe at rival firms that have taken that step. She commented that given the “rollercoaster” of the pandemic it was “fascinating” to see some companies make announcements about what will happen four months from now.

Deloitte Australia announced this week said it will require all employees be vaccinated to enter company offices by the start of next year.

Among the other large professional services and consultancy firms EY said it was preparing a staff vaccine policy which could be unveiled to employees as early as Friday.

Ms Kitchen said for KPMG it meant as the key states of New South Wales and Victoria opened, staff would need to prove their vaccine status to re-enter the KPMG office, although in the ACT there was no requirement as yet for office workers to be vaccinated and KPMG would adhere to that policy.

But it was too early to make any firm decisions as the pandemic and reopenings of state economies was still to play out.

KPMG Australia national chairman Alison Kitchen. Picture: Aaron Francis

Ms Kitchen said the approach for KPMG was adhering to state guidelines which in NSW, which plans to open up on Monday, is that only fully vaccinated staff can re-enter the office.

“We will comply with that. What we haven’t done is gone further and say if and when New South Wales get to 90 per cent (vaccination) and says the same rules are available for vaccinated or unvaccinated people we have not yet decided that we will continue to maintain compulsory vaccination in that sense,” she told the Turnaround Management Association conference on Wednesday.

Ms Kitchen said she couldn’t see the sense in making decisions now for events that might or might not happen in January as the pandemic proved to date that the best laid plans can be disrupted quickly and without warning. Rival firms have already jumped ahead and set down guidelines.

“I have seen the other firms announce it, it is fascinating to me that people are making announcements about what’s going to happen in January,” she said.

“If you go back to what I have said earlier and the rollercoaster we have all ridden, I have made many plans that are three months out, I thought I would do.

“I went around the country in March this year and confidently told my colleagues I would resume my quarterly visits to them all and haven’t been back to one other office since because by June we were all locked up again.

“So we don’t feel the need to tell people now what we will and won’t mandate in January.

“We will watch as it evolves I think through this opening up period and clearly we will have people staying at home unless they need to be in the office and will have to be fully vaccinated to come into the offices in Sydney and then Melbourne as they open up.”

She said KPMG had adopted a consistent approach through the pandemic on the controversial issue of vaccines.

“We have consistently, from day one of this pandemic, had a few clear policies.

“Firstly that we will always follow government health guidelines.

“Secondly the health and welfare of our people is paramount.

“Thirdly that we don’t ask any of our people to do anything that they are not comfortable with and fourthly that we always aim to meet our client requirements.”

“We have stuck to that consistently and so we haven’t at this point decided that we are going to mandate vaccines and we are still looking at continuing to consider that, but obviously in following guidelines we will, as the big states reopen, follow their guidance of that you can’t come back into the office unless you are vaccinated,” Ms Kitchen told the Turnaround Management Association conference.

Deloitte Australia CEO Adam Powick. Picture: Lucas Dawson

This week Deloitte Australia CEO Adam Powick told the firm’s partners, employees, contractors and suppliers that proof of vaccination will be required to enter company premises and attend company events.

Under the new policy, all partners, employees and contractors will be required to declare their vaccination status to the firm.

However, it is understood the policy is not necessarily permanent and may no longer be needed as the health and safety impacts of Covid-19 in a highly vaccinated nation become clearer.

Mr Powick said the policy represented a move by Deloitte to help re-open the country while providing a safe working environment to staff.

It is believed that EY will introduce a Covid-19 vaccine policy similar to that of Deloitte.

Catherine Walsh, head of people and culture at PwC Australia, said this week that in line with the government advice in each jurisdiction the firm strongly encourages its people to get vaccinated once they become eligible, taking into account the government health advice in their state or territory, and the advice of their health practitioner.

“We will continue to monitor and evolve this position as required, based on government guidance.”