Should Companies Require Staff To Receive The COVID-19 Vaccine?

With vaccines soon to be available to the general public, companies are facing the issue of whether to require all staff members to get vaccinated.

According to The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers have the right in most cases to require the vaccine or proof of vaccination. However, research suggests that employers may look to encourage staff to get the vaccine instead of requiring it.

In fact, the Society for Human Resource Management revealed that 61% of companies in the U.S. will encourage vaccines instead of require them. 

So what should business leaders and employers consider when deciding what their vaccination policy should be?

Some companies have offered incentives for employees to get vaccinated. For instance, Dollar General announced it would offer its employees four hours of pay for simply getting the vaccine. 

Making the process of getting the vaccine as easy as possible will be key to encouraging employees. This can be done by connecting employees to a vaccine distribution site, or paying for the vaccine if necessary.

Staff who may have legal exemptions will likely need to be accommodated with an isolated workspace and continue using face masks to prevent any potential risks.