ICYMI—Webinar Recording of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Considerations At Work

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use by people 16 years of age and older.

Yet, COVID-19 cases are still surging throughout most of the country thanks to the Delta Variant.

Eager to get bodies back in office chairs, more employers are developing and implementing COVID-19 vaccine mandates as a condition of employment. After all, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) allowed employers to require that workers get a COVID-19 vaccine, subject to certain exemptions (here). Plus, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued August guidance actively encouraging employers to consider adopting policies requiring workers to get vaccinated.

One survey, which polled 961 U.S. companies that together employ around 9.7 million people, found that by the end of 2021, more than half of employers could have one or more vaccine mandate requirements.

Fielding COVID-19 policy, vaccine/safety, and privacy questions most days —HR professionals, business owners, and counsel to discuss all of this and more:

• Handling religious objections to vaccinations;

• Employee documentation best practices;

• Responding to false or bogus vaccine beliefs;

• Reasonable accommodations and the interactive process;

• Fake COVID-19 vaccine cards, privacy concerns, masking (masks are back too);

• Sick leave, including remaining Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the American Rescue Plan;

• Union considerations to be aware of;

• Vaccine equity; and

• Insurance surcharges.

Businesses that are considering or have already implemented a COVID-19 mandate should have a plan for handling of these issues.

Want the details?

Watch the webinar on E’s YouTube channel, with helpful information about each of these concerns, here.