Investment management firm Vanguard Group Inc. announced Wednesday that it will pay employees $1,000 each to get vaccinated as cases continue to rise as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads throughout the country.

The incentive demonstrates how companies want to get their employees vaccinated to not only keep them safe but keep their customers and communities safe as well. Employees who are vaccinated by Oct. 1 are eligible for the incentive.

"Vanguard recognizes that vaccines are the best way to stop the spread of this virus and strongly encourages crew to be vaccinated. We are offering a vaccine incentive for crew who can provide COVID-19 vaccination proof," said Vanguard spokesperson Charles Kurtz.

Another global investment manager, BlackRock Inc., said it will prohibit unvaccinated employees from returning to their offices in July.

Vanguard is not the only business creating incentives for employees to get vaccinated.

USPS, PepsiCo, Home Depot, and Bank of America are all offering their employees paid leave. Amazon has set up on-site vaccination clinics and offers $80 to receive the vaccine and $100 for new employees to get vaccinated. Store chains Albertson’s and Kroger are paying employees $100, while Target is offering Lyft rides (up to $15) to get their employees vaccinated. Raytheon will provide $200 in annual rewards and McDonald’s is offering four hours of paid time off.

President Joe Biden has told states and cities to incentivize the vaccine by giving residents $100 to get vaccinated using the emergency relief money that was passed in the earliest days of his administration.

"The President is calling on state, territorial, and local governments to provide $100 payments for every newly vaccinated American, as an incentive to boost vaccination rates, protect communities, and save lives,” said the Treasury Department.

Roughly 70% of the country has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Coronavirus