#0068 - Will You Require Your Employees to be Vaccinated in Order to Return to the Office?

Confessions of a Recovering Landlord

The FDA just gave full approval of the Pfizer vaccine. Many large companies have announced they will require their employees to be vaccinated to return to the office. Too Big Brother? Or a good solution to avoid an incubator for more infections?

Employers' view point would probably be - it's my company, it's my space, and my responsibility to ensure (as best I can) the safety and health of all my employees. Requiring them to be vaccinated/masked/tested is my choice. Employers' rights are as important as employees' rights. Just where does, however, one start and one end? And how do you balance them? Taking a hard line could mean you end up with no employees. In our company, we haven't made any absolute unilateral demands on our team members. As the pandemic has progressed, we went to Zoom meetings, then back to in-person, back to Zoom when someone's family member got covid, and then back to in-person.

Now, flip side. What about those that aren't in good health, took the vaccine as early as they could, but have to have that job? Should they be required to come to work if their cubemate isn't taking the same precautions? What if they're caring for an elderly parent at home and don't want to bring the virus home?

All extremely valid points, but get back to the original premise which is - do employers have the right to force their employees to get vaccinated? I think it is important for an employer to provide as safe an environment for their employees as possible. I mean, look at what landlords are currently going through to ensure a safe/clean environment for their tenants.

Personally, I don't think you can mandate this across the board. There are going to be exceptions to every rule and I think each company will have to decide this for themselves.