In-N-Out Burger chain announces ban on employees from wearing masks ‘to promote effective communication’; Details here
In-N-Out Burger will prohibit its employees from wearing masks in five out of the seven states where it operates. According to leaked internal memos on TWitter, employees in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas will not be allowed to wear masks from August 14 onwards. However, those who have a medical reason for wearing a mask can do so with a medical note.
California and Oregon employees are exempted from this policy due to state laws. The company's aim, as stated in the memos, is ‘to promote effective communication’ with customers and among staff. Employees who are granted permission to wear masks for medical reasons will be provided with N-95 masks by the company.
Employees who fail to comply with the no-mask policy may face disciplinary actions, including the possibility of termination, according to the memos. State laws in California and Oregon prohibit employers from prohibiting employees from wearing masks. In-N-Out has faced controversy before during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October 2021, a San Francisco In-N-Out location was temporarily closed by health authorities for not complying with local laws that required checking customers' vaccination status. In response, Arnie Wensinger, the chain's chief legal and business officer, stated that they would not act as the «vaccination police» for any government. In the same month, another In-N-Out store in Pleasant Hill, California, also faced fines for not checking customers' vaccination status.
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