Oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell considers dismissing personnel refusing to accept a Covid-19 vaccine, according to an internal note sent to top management cited by Financial Times.

"For staff who refuse to comply with a vaccine mandate, we would make all reasonable efforts to avoid terminating their employment but will be faced with no alternative but to do so," the document reportedly reads.

Employees on offshore sites are said to perhaps face more lenient rules, while staff elsewhere in the organization may be met with a clear demand that they be vaccinated.

However, the note underscores that the company doesn't wish to be a "pioneer" and that it should behave "in step with governments and society on this controversial issue".

Shell declines to comment on the matter, writes Financial Times.

Like Shell, a plethora of other major companies are also discussing their internal vaccine policies following the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant.

In August, oil firms Hess and Chevron said they would demand that select employees – including staff in the Gulf of Mexico – be vaccinated.

Goldman Sachs and Deloitte will also be requiring vaccinations as of October.

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