Will Employers Make Covid-19 Vaccines Obligatory? Tips for Constructing Company-Wide Policies.

Will Employers Make Covid-19 Vaccines Obligatory? Tips for Constructing Company-Wide Policies. 

 
As managers face potentially company-defining decisions regarding vaccines, it is vitally important that you think through all potential scenarios in advance and construct policies now. 

As widely distributed Vaccines become available for Covid-19, at best, it has the potential to eradicate this pandemic and usher in a return to some semblance of normalcy.  

Managers who have spent the past eleven months optimizing their remote teams are now facing a new set of uncertainties. Will this vaccine end the pandemic? Will business-as-usual resume? Is a return to normal even a worthy goal? Should offices reopen? Not just from a health perspective, but more generally, are offices a worthwhile investment? If so, what should a firm vaccine policy be? 

For managers who do intend to re-open offices in the near to medium term, there are a host of things to consider as you go about constructing a company-wide policy. Should you optimize for safety? If so, is a mandatory policy the best bet? Should you fire employees who refuse vaccination? Are there legal ramifications for doing so? Should you optimize for freedom and choice? If so, should you let unvaccinated employees come into the office? Should you let those who don’t want to be vaccinated work remotely forever? Are unvaccinated employees even a risk to those who have immunity? 

There are many variables to consider, each with potentially company-breaking consequences. A policy that winds up killing people is a catastrophic risk to the lives of your employees and your company. And a policy that alienates people who value their personal freedom could lead to lawsuits that can cripple your business. 

With so much at stake, it’s critical to have a framework for constructing a policy that can be clearly understood and embraced. Here’s some advice every manager should consider as they chart the course of their company’s office reopening’s and vaccinations. 

Begin planning now 

Assess your employee population to understand what their values, concerns and needs are. Knowing what really matters to them will help you communicate your policies in the most impactful ways. Separate the non-negotiables from the negotiables so that employees understand their choices. Non-negotiables may include directives for safety and avoiding political discussions about pros and cons. Negotiables may include the option to work from home for a certain amount of time. 

If you motivate or mandate that employees take a vaccine, it is imperative that you lead by example. Pictures and videos can speak volumes and can help destigmatize and humanize what you are asking of your employees. Openly taking the vaccine, on camera, and showing your employees that you’re happy to be the first one is important. You can’t ask people to do something you yourself won’t do, and therefore you should be transparent and public about your personal decision to do so, especially given how controversial that decision has become in our highly polarizing social and political environment. 

Anticipate issues 

There are no easy paths ahead. Whether you disregard the vaccine, make it optional, encourage it, or make it obligatory, you are going to have a considerable number of employees who disagree — and the disagreements won’t be minor. Be prepared to have plenty of accommodation requests. If you don’t mandate it, expect to have many employees insist on working remotely forever. If you do make it mandatory, expect to have employees who claim this is a civil rights issue. Train your human resources staff to process these requests, and decide now, in advance, what your policies will be as they come in. The reactions to your vaccine policy are predictable, and it’s important you map them out now and train your staff in how to respond to them. 

Understand the law, and consult with your Lawyers 

Things are changing rapidly, so know the laws, understand them, and consult your attorneys. Just because you think a particular policy is correct does not make it legal or immune to lawsuits. And, even if your selected policy is legal, it still doesn’t mean you won’t get sued. Lawsuits are expensive even if you prevail, and the last thing you need are employees who disagree with you hiring lawyers and coming after your company. This is a legal minefield, and it’s best to spend some money upfront when you construct a policy rather than down the road after a selected policy backfires. 

We are heading into unchartered territory. From a legal, health, social, and financial perspective, there is no precedent for the decisions business leaders are about to face. The final piece of advice I will repeat to you, which is what I am sharing with all my clients, is to plan now and consult with your Board, employees, staff, advisors, and lawyers. Whatever path you choose, it will impact your company culture forever, and you cannot overthink this decision.