Wegmans Now Giving Employees Wellness Checks

The Wegmans grocery store chain is now requiring employees to undergo a wellness check before starting every shift due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The chain, based in Rochester, N.Y., announced the program on Monday.

According to Wegmans officials, employees are being asked to answer a series of questions about coronavirus symptoms before starting work. The company is in the process of rolling out temperatures checks at all of its stores as well.

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Any worker showing symptoms of the coronavirus, or with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, will be asked to go home and contact a doctor, the company said. Those employees still will be paid, according to Wegmans.

Wegmans also announced it is increasing the pay of all employees by $2 an hour during the months of March and April. It has also made efforts to accommodate more vulnerable employees by offering them the chance to move into different roles, officials said.

When a Wegmans employee tests positive for the coronavirus, the company said it follows the following protocol:

• A team of experts has an in-depth conversation with the employee to offer support, determine when symptoms started and with whom they had close contact.
• Other employees who may have been infected are taken out of work and paid during their quarantine.
• The company notifies local health departments.
• The public is alerted if there is determined to have been any risk of infection to customers.