Following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant, companies now have more solid ground to mandate vaccines for employees.
According to a new survey from consulting firm Willis Towers Watson, around 52% of 1,000 companies are expecting to implement a vaccine mandate by the end of the year.
In order to decrease their liability and encourage workers to get the vaccine, 14% of companies are considering increasing health insurance premiums for their employees and between 1% and 2% have already instituted surcharges for unvaccinated workers.
“Companies have been doing a really good job of making it easy to be vaccinated,” said Dr. Jeff Levin-Scherz, Health Management Practice Population Health Leader at Willis Towers Watson. “Employers are now thinking, ‘How can we make it difficult for people not to be vaccinated?’”
In some cases, proof of vaccination has become required for employment. In fact, research from Indeed showed a 90% increase in vaccination requirements in its job listings between July and August.
Even coworking firm Convene has instituted a vaccine mandate for its employees, as well as its members and guests.
