Employee Benefits Market Check Survey: COVID-19 Vaccines in the Workplace – Update

COVID-19 vaccinations continue to become more widely available, and about 147 million people (as of May 2, 2021) have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Many employers would prefer that 100 percent of their workforce is vaccinated as soon as possible. Still, most are stopping short of requiring employees to be vaccinated before returning to the workplace.

We conducted polls during two webcasts on April 22 and 23, to get an updated perspective of employers are thinking about requiring proof of vaccination from their employees. We compare these results against responses from the same poll taken in February. Significantly more employers have decided not to require proof of vaccination before returning to the workplace. The results are in the chart below.

Key Findings
While employers can encourage and even mandate vaccinations before allowing a return to the worksite, several considerations must be reviewed, including exceptions for those with disabilities or religious beliefs, a business need, any collective bargaining issues, state laws, and more. Consulting with counsel is always advised before putting a mandate into effect.