75% Of Small Businesses Would Fire Workers For Not Complying With Vaccination Policies

In the latest sign of the importance many companies are placing on having employees vaccinated against Covid, 75% of small businesses said in a survey they would fire workers for failing to comply with their vaccination policies.

The research project commissioned by Digitial.com found that 59% of surveyed small businesses would only hire vaccinated workers; 23% said they were considering a similar policy. Only 19% said that vaccination status was not a factor in hiring new employees.

In another poll announced yesterday, company owners said high employee vaccination rates would be good for business.

Reacting To A Close Call

Carl Ramsey, operations manager of Tek Experts, said his 10-employee company was “… forced to implement a vaccine mandate due to a close call we had a month ago. Someone tested positive for Covid, and [because of] our small space, everyone had to be tested and each staff member [could] only…return onsite after receiving a negative result.

“The loss of revenue due to a staff shortage was crippling enough for the company to mandate the vaccine. The safety of our staff is foremost important, but also if revenue and customer service suffers then actions must be taken to keep business afloat. Our employees for the most part have been understanding. There are one or two that may be let go because of exposure to vaccine misinformation and refusing to participate. Even under religious or medical exemptions, our space is too small to provide reasonable accommodations and at the same time keep our other employees safe,” he noted.

Impact

Ira Wolfe, president of Success Performance Solutions, said, “Mandates or no mandates will inevitably lead to less applicant flow and higher quit rates, depending on personal viewpoints and fears. To enforce or forego a mandate must be evaluated on a risk/benefit and gain/loss basis. And it’s not just about staffing and productivity but brand and reputation too. One wrong move and the company may be put in a situation that alienates customers, employees, or both.”

Advice For Business Leaders

Guidance From EEOC

Stan Sater, a corporate and technology attorney at Founders Legal, advised that, “Before an employer decides to require and enforce Covid-19 vaccination for its employees, they will need to be up-to-date and cognizant of current U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines.

For example, the EEOC states that employer-mandated vaccination policies may only extend to employees physically present at a worksite. This is a key consideration for organizations with remote and hybrid workers. Additionally, employers are still subject to ADA and Title VII compliance. If an employee cannot receive the vaccine for health reasons or based on a sincerely held religious belief, the employer must consider reasonable accommodations.”

Tailored Approach

Wendy L. Patrick, who has taught business ethics at San Diego State University for over 10 years, said, “Business practices must be tailored to provide a safe workplace, but also reasonable accommodations. 

“For individual employers, it is not as easy as saying ‘no shot, no salary.” That type of zero tolerance policy will result in a loss of some of the most qualified, industrious, smart, hard-working employees. Many industries are currently plagued by labor shortages as it is. Instead, employers who offer weekly testing options ensure everyone on the premises is Covid-free, versus merely vaccinated. As breakthrough cases rise and vaccination rates fall, weekly testing remains the best way to keep Covid itself out of the workplace,” she counseled.

Keeping Employees Safe

“Among those employees allowed to test weekly should be those who qualify for and have provided proof of exemptions, both medical [and/or] religious. This not only keeps employees safe (in the case of medical exemptions, as we learn more about the growing class of people for whom the vaccine would be dangerous), it ensures the company does not get sued and tied up in expensive and time-consuming litigation. Weekly testing allows a company to maintain high standards of both health and wealth,” Patrick advised.

Benefits And Fallout

Wolfe of Success Performance Solutions said, “Whichever decision an organization makes will have benefits and fallout. The first question one might ask is “can the employee work remotely?” If yes, you’d need to answer why a universal vaccination mandate would be necessary. It will undoubtedly shrink your talent pool.

“But the decision to exempt remote workers from the mandate may motivate in-person employees to request remote work options. What happens if the remote worker is required to participate in occasional in-person meetings or meet with customers? What if the customer requires proof of vaccination and/or a negative Covid-19 test? Does the employee get an exemption for this too, even if it impacts his/her performance?”

In-Person Workers

Wolfe asked, “If the work requires the employee to be in-person and/or interact with customers, how can you as an employer [provide] a safe environment for other workers? Will a not-required policy deter candidates from applying and current workers to quit? Are there other environmental changes that could mitigate risks such as mask mandate and social distancing?”

Balancing Act

John Hooker is a professor of business ethics and social responsibility at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. He said, “Ordinarily, it is not only ethically permissible but obligatory to require new employees to be vaccinated (with appropriate exceptions for medical conditions, etc.), unless employees work at home or are otherwise isolated. 

“However, if the requirement would seriously impact the ability to find new employees, the issue is more complicated. One must balance the Covid health hazard against harm that would result from a staffing shortage.”

About The Survey

The Digital.com survey of 1,000 participants in the U.S. was conducted online by polling platform Pollfish between September 14 and September 15, 2021. Respondents were from a variety of industries including finance, IT, education, construction, retail. They had to pass through two screening questions to ensure they were a business owner who employed less than 100 people, and that their employees work in person at least some of the time.