The pandemic has affected many industries around the world. Many companies scaled down their operations while others closed down due to the lack of demand in the market. The release of the vaccine had some companies scrambling to get supplies for their employees. Even as many people weren’t initially confident about the vaccines, the percentage of people willing to get the vaccine has gone up to around 60 percent.
With this in mind, companies have to decide whether to require their staff to get vaccinated or not.
A Necessity in the Industry
Even as companies will require vaccination for their employees, the needs of each industry may vary. For instance, the hospitality industry may require it for their employees since their risk of getting infected is higher than in other industries. Similarly, the retail and health industries may also require their staff to get the vaccine.
Suppose the employees are not convinced of the benefits of the vaccine. These companies can provide them with data from studies conducted by the government and the private sector. They can direct their employees to the websites of these organizations. One website they can check is pion-inc.com, which provides science-based analytics on current issues facing the world today.
With the polarizing effect of vaccination, some employees may opt to leave companies that require vaccination. Companies are justified when they require vaccination since unvaccinated employees will put other employees and the customers at risk.
Possible Exceptions
While getting the vaccine is essential to protect people, there may be some exceptions to this. Since the development of the vaccine was faster than usual, some safety information is still limited. This is particularly true with the safety information for people who have underlying conditions.
For instance, safety data for people who have a weakened immune system is currently limited. Similarly, safety data for people with autoimmune conditions are also lacking. Other conditions with limited safety information include people who had Bell’s palsy and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Despite the limited data, they can still get the vaccine. Getting the vaccine allows them to fight off the effects of the virus. It’s also better for them to get vaccinated since they have an increased risk of becoming severely ill if they get infected.
Incentives
Aside from requiring employees, companies can also provide incentives to employees who willingly get themselves vaccinated. Companies can provide paid days off for employees who get vaccinated. And since some people may have allergic reactions from the vaccine, the company can provide more days off to recover from the vaccination. Some companies offer other incentives such as a gift card or dinner at a fancy restaurant.
But providing incentives will have the companies threading a fine line. If they provide incentives to employees who get vaccinated, they will have to deal with employees who cannot be vaccinated due to health issues. In this situation, the company can offer alternative rewards to these employees who want to get the vaccination but cannot do so.
While this carrot-and-stick approach may work for some companies, others are not quite convinced. Some companies do not offer incentives since they believe the vaccination should be a personal decision and should not have any outside influence. These companies are wary about getting involved with the personal medical decisions of their employees.
On the other hand, some companies may have hurt a lot during the pandemic and don’t have the finances to provide incentives to encourage their employees to get vaccinated. These companies will likely have to resort to requiring their workers to get vaccinated without giving any incentives.
Legalities
Some companies may not require their employees to get vaccinated. But this will open them up to other issues. Vaccinated employees may allege that the company does not provide them with a healthy and safe workplace as indicated on the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
It takes time for the vaccine to build the protection the body needs against the virus. So, there’s still a chance for a person to get infected even after getting the vaccine. This will happen if the vaccine did not have enough time to provide the protection the body needed.
Vaccinated employees may be concerned about getting infected before the vaccine gives them the protection they need. The company will have to check local legislation about the mandatory vaccination of the employees.
While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has yet to issue guidelines about the vaccine, it recognized the threat posed by the virus. It indicated that companies could exclude employees with the virus from the workplace. Companies can also ask employees with the symptoms to have themselves tested. With this, companies can wait for the commission to issue the guidelines to take the necessary measures.
Even as the vaccine is gradually being released, companies can start working on having their employees vaccinated to protect the customers, other employees, and the general public.
