[US] Companies can ask employees’ vaccination status ahead of reopening

The message the majority of companies is sending office workers is that it will soon be time to return to their desks. But many companies have yet to decide what to do about vaccines, Money Control reports.

The issue of whether to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory has become a thorny one and most companies are hoping to avoid requiring vaccines. The federal agency responsible for enforcing workplace discrimination laws says they can but CEOs fear vaccine mandates would lead to lawsuits, invite political upheaval and be hard to enforce. 

However, they are also worried about safety. A COVID-19 outbreak in the workplace could force a company to retrench on masking and social distancing policies, making it even harder to return to normal. So they are trying everything short of a mandate, without yet ruling one out.

According to a survey of 770 companies conducted by human resources software company TINYpulse, nearly one-third of companies have yet to develop any vaccine policy.

As companies weigh their options, many are canvassing employees to determine how many have already had the vaccine.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said last month that it was legal to ask employees for their vaccination status. The EEOC also said that companies could require workers to be vaccinated to come to the office but employers must accommodate employees’ religious beliefs or health concerns such as allergies. Solutions include keeping a worker isolated or allowing them to work remotely, experts say.

Last week, Goldman Sachs sent an email to inform employees they had to report their vaccination status within two days. Goldman is among the few firms making such disclosures mandatory. Though it won’t require proof, the bank informed employees that lying about their status could result in disciplinary action, including termination.

Other companies are effectively paying employees to share their vaccination status or encouraging them to do so without entirely mandating it. Walmart, for instance, is offering $75 to any worker who shows proof of vaccination. Bank of America told employees who want to return to the office that they had the option to upload their vaccination status into the company’s internal system.

To raise the proportion of vaccinated employees, companies are trying to make getting a vaccination easier.

Around 42 per cent of companies plan to offer on-site vaccination and 56 per cent intend to pay employees for the time they spend getting vaccinated, according to a forthcoming Willis Towers Watson survey of 660 employers.

Experts say that an effective tactic for encouraging employees to get vaccinated is for top managers to go first.

PPG - a Pittsburgh-based paint maker - is mandating vaccines only for its executive leadership team. It is also offering COVID-19 testing and vaccination at its facility in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Only 11 per cent of companies surveyed by Willis Towers Watson are offering financial incentives, with more than half of those incentives worth less than $100.

At present, the companies that have mandated vaccines are primarily in industries like health care, where unvaccinated employees pose a high health risk or businesses with relatively few employees, although these have met with some pushback. Airlines - which fly hundreds of passengers in close quarters across the world - have also been more aggressive. Both United and Delta Air Lines are requiring vaccines for new employees, a move that can be easier to enact than a broad-based mandate yet may have little impact on current crews.

Saks Fifth Avenue is reportedly requiring the 500 workers at its office in Manhattan’s financial district to be vaccinated. Marc Metrick - Saks CEO - said Saks would have an “accommodation process” for those who could not be vaccinated.

Where vaccine rates are lower, mandates may be more complicated. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, this is in part because there is more resistance and because legislation limiting the ability to require vaccines for students, employees - or for the public in general - has been proposed in at least 25 states.

The message the majority of companies is sending office workers is that it will soon be time to return to their desks. But many companies have yet to decide what to do about vaccines, Money Control reports.

The issue of whether to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory has become a thorny one and most companies are hoping to avoid requiring vaccines. The federal agency responsible for enforcing workplace discrimination laws says they can but CEOs fear vaccine mandates would lead to lawsuits, invite political upheaval and be hard to enforce. 

However, they are also worried about safety. A COVID-19 outbreak in the workplace could force a company to retrench on masking and social distancing policies, making it even harder to return to normal. So they are trying everything short of a mandate, without yet ruling one out.

According to a survey of 770 companies conducted by human resources software company TINYpulse, nearly one-third of companies have yet to develop any vaccine policy.

As companies weigh their options, many are canvassing employees to determine how many have already had the vaccine.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said last month that it was legal to ask employees for their vaccination status. The EEOC also said that companies could require workers to be vaccinated to come to the office but employers must accommodate employees’ religious beliefs or health concerns such as allergies. Solutions include keeping a worker isolated or allowing them to work remotely, experts say.

Last week, Goldman Sachs sent an email to inform employees they had to report their vaccination status within two days. Goldman is among the few firms making such disclosures mandatory. Though it won’t require proof, the bank informed employees that lying about their status could result in disciplinary action, including termination.

Other companies are effectively paying employees to share their vaccination status or encouraging them to do so without entirely mandating it. Walmart, for instance, is offering $75 to any worker who shows proof of vaccination. Bank of America told employees who want to return to the office that they had the option to upload their vaccination status into the company’s internal system.

To raise the proportion of vaccinated employees, companies are trying to make getting a vaccination easier.

Around 42 per cent of companies plan to offer on-site vaccination and 56 per cent intend to pay employees for the time they spend getting vaccinated, according to a forthcoming Willis Towers Watson survey of 660 employers.

Experts say that an effective tactic for encouraging employees to get vaccinated is for top managers to go first.

PPG - a Pittsburgh-based paint maker - is mandating vaccines only for its executive leadership team. It is also offering COVID-19 testing and vaccination at its facility in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Only 11 per cent of companies surveyed by Willis Towers Watson are offering financial incentives, with more than half of those incentives worth less than $100.

At present, the companies that have mandated vaccines are primarily in industries like health care, where unvaccinated employees pose a high health risk or businesses with relatively few employees, although these have met with some pushback. Airlines - which fly hundreds of passengers in close quarters across the world - have also been more aggressive. Both United and Delta Air Lines are requiring vaccines for new employees, a move that can be easier to enact than a broad-based mandate yet may have little impact on current crews.

Saks Fifth Avenue is reportedly requiring the 500 workers at its office in Manhattan’s financial district to be vaccinated. Marc Metrick - Saks CEO - said Saks would have an “accommodation process” for those who could not be vaccinated.

Where vaccine rates are lower, mandates may be more complicated. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, this is in part because there is more resistance and because legislation limiting the ability to require vaccines for students, employees - or for the public in general - has been proposed in at least 25 states.