On the other side of the ledger, the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires that employers provide a safe working environment for employees.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission stated that as long as employers offer reasonable accommodations to those with serious medical or religious reasons for not being vaccinated, federal civil rights laws do not preclude employers from mandating COVID-19 vaccines.

But these agencies and courts have suggested that relevant laws will not prohibit them from doing so. It is smarter to wait and let societal pressures work to get the vaccination rate up on its own.Īs is often the case with new legal topics, the administrative agencies and the courts have said employers cannot tell employees that they can mandate vaccinations. Given the politicization of this particular vaccination, that was a smart position to take, even though I believe virtually all employers will require it for employees who return. Most employers said early on that they would not require employees to be vaccinated. The big question with respect to safety is whether businesses will require all returning employees to be vaccinated. Exactly how long to wait and how “normal” the situation should be before bringing back employees is a tough judgment call that depends in part on how well we think things are going now.

Even after restrictions are lifted, many employees will be nervous about returning.

Ethical issues in management