Vaccinated Best Buy employees can enter to win $5,000 as the company encourages - but does not require - workers to get the shot
- Best Buy will give 21 employees $5,000 to incentivize workers to get the COVID-19 shot.
- It also offers vaccinated employees paid time off and additional sick time for side effects.
- Companies and governments across the US are offering similar incentives to promote vaccinations.
Best Buy has launched a sweepstakes totaling more than $100,000 to incentivize workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The tech retailer will give $5,000 each to 21 employees who provide proof of vaccination, a company spokesperson confirmed to Insider. Best Buy has roughly 100,000 employees.
A portion of the memo notifying employees of the sweepstakes provided to Insider says, "The best reason to get the COVID-19 vaccine is to avoid contracting the virus yourself and to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to your family, friends, co-workers and community. The second-best reason is that any Best Buy employee could be one of 21 winners across the company to win $5,000!"
The message to employees also reiterates the company's stance towards employee vaccinations, saying "the choice to be vaccinated is entirely yours and the company is not requiring it."
Twenty of the sweepstakes winners will be field employees, and one winner will come from the company's corporate offices in Richfield, Minnesota. Employees have until July 22 to get fully vaccinated and submit a copy of their vaccination card in order to enter.
While Best Buy does not require employees to get the COVID-19 shot, it has previously announced other perks meant to encourage staff to get the vaccine. In February, the retailer announced it would offer paid time off for vaccinated employees to use however they want. The company also paid out one-time bonuses to US hourly employees for working through the pandemic.
Best Buy is just the latest in a string of corporations offering incentives to get people in line for the COVID-19 vaccine. Companies like Target, Trader Joe's, McDonald's and Starbucks are giving their employees a few hours of pay to get the shot. Earlier this month, CVS Health kicked off its six-week #OneStepCloser sweepstakes, which offers more than a thousand prizes, including cruise tickets, weekend getaways and a VIP trip to the Super Bowl. United Airlines is running a sweepstakes to give five vaccinated flyers a year of free travel.
Cities and states have also hopped on the bandwagon in an effort to boost their vaccination rates. Philadelphia recently announced it is giving away $50,000 grand prizes to vaccinated residents. States like California, Colorado, New York and Ohio are also holding lotteries for residents who have received the shot.