The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently said that employers will be allowed to mandate vaccination or require documentation of vaccination in certain situations. Determine what your company will decide to do regarding vaccine mandates. Even if you choose to avoid mandates, think through how you will support your employees’ access to vaccines. Will you offer navigation services to help them make appointments? Will you have partnerships with local pharmacies or mobile nursing services that come to worksites or homes? Will you potentially offer vaccines at your employee health clinic? Deciding on policies now can help you avoid confusion when the vaccine is available to your employees.
Pay attention to federal, state and local health department announcements regarding vaccine distribution timing. The government will likely designate early allotment to essential workers. Do you have any employees who meet the essential worker criteria as defined by your state health officials? In addition, the government will likely prioritize workers at higher risk for COVID due to age or underlying conditions. Will you facilitate their ability to receive vaccines? If so, decide how you will communicate this. Furthermore, consider whether you will require vaccination documentation from employees to demonstrate proof of inoculation. These are just a few of many questions to think through and address. Your legal and/or HR teams should be part of this decision-making process early on to help you understand all the implications of your proposed policies.
