Talking Business with Tina Hamilton: Can employers mandate that employees receive the COVID vaccine

Amid individuals’ opinions and feelings about vaccination, employers, specifically in industries that interact with the public daily, have major decisions to make, with the biggest one being whether they will require their employees to get the vaccine as an overall company policy. Regardless of which side of the vaccine decision you are on, the last thing employers need is employees continuing to pass a potentially deadly virus around the workplace long after the vaccine has been available.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) already allows companies to require employees to be vaccinated for the flu, and considering COVID is much worse than the flu, attorney Helen Rella of Wilk Auslander anticipates that they will issue guidelines stating it’s their position that it would be reasonable for an employer to require an employee to get the vaccine. When talking with Alex Michaels, CEO of Discover Lehigh Valley, he stated “as a representative of the hospitality industry, we will do anything possible to encourage safe travel and face-to-face meetings as soon as feasible. I believe being vaccinated is an important step in getting our industry back and thriving again.” During normal times, businesses are responsible for providing a safe environment for customers and employees. I believe that most will uphold that responsibility, and either mandate or strongly encourage COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace.