What Your Business Should Know About Vaccine Mandates

What Are Vaccine Mandates?

In the wake of the return to work after social distancing and quarantining for long amounts of time, businesses are having to grapple with the dilemma of whether or not to require vaccines.

The right decision will be different for every business, and it may fall under what the government is requiring.

In the United States, recent updates to vaccine mandates have been put out, but they are also under question. As a business owner, here are some things to think about. 

Are They Legal?

Mandating vaccinations may seem like a forceful measure and may initially make you feel a bit nervous. But the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has actually come out and said that mandating vaccinations is not a violation of workers’ rights. 

If you are considering this route, it still is a good idea to do what you can to be flexible. Try to still allow employees to work from home if they want to and work to give employees a decent window of time in which to get vaccinated. 

Recent updates to government vaccine mandates include requiring vaccinations for all businesses with over 100 employees, government employees, and government contractors.

Should You Mandate Vaccinations?

Figuring out if it’s a good idea for you to mandate vaccinations will take some careful thought. Taking this step may be a good idea if you have large numbers of people who need to meet with a lot of people every day.

In essence, if you have a lot of exposure in the office, having everyone vaccinated will make these interactions safer. 

On the other hand, if there are other factors at play that lead you to shy away from required vaccinations, make sure you take other safety precautions.

For example, if you don’t mandate vaccines, social distancing signs can still play a part in safety. 

If you do choose to go the route of mandating vaccines, you should consider including exceptions for things like medical, religious, and personal reasons.

How Do You Approach Coming Back to the Office With or Without Them?

Whether or not you decide to mandate vaccinations, it can be quite complicated trying to get everyone back into the office. You’ll likely have a variety of employees that feel very differently about vaccines—some feeling strongly that they shouldn’t be mandated while others feeling strongly that they should be. 

Navigating this tension can be difficult. In order to try and preserve unity in the office, focus on data-driven approaches.

Turn to the science and make sure that you are truly adhering to the recommendations put out by experts. Doing this can help neutralize tense situations. 

Figuring out how to approach vaccinations in your workplace will be challenging. But taking your time to consider all the relevant factors and all the scientific recommendations can help you arrive at the right decision.

Being committed to safety will make a big difference in the long run. Make sure you are also keeping up to date on what the requirements are. This is a situation that updates and changes regularly.

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