A new post on AXIOS poses what could be the next great debate surrounding the pandemic and the workplace. Will companies require the vaccine before employers can return to the office?
The law establishes that both the public and private sector can require vaccinations, according to the New York Times.
But will they?
“Several said that they have tried to create a culture of trust, and a vaccine mandate would undermine that trust. Others worried about legal liability if an employee had adverse side effects from the vaccine. Some said they would like to mandate the vaccine, but worried that a backlash could spiral into a public-relations nightmare. ”
“This is not a hypothetical thought experiment. When the chief executive of Qantas, the Australian airline, said he would require passengers to be vaccinated — “certainly for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think that’s a necessity,” he said — the backlash was swift. A travel agency in Britain stopped booking flights with the airline, stating that “we feel that bodily autonomy with regard to medical intervention is a personal choice and not something to be forced onto people by businesses.”
The New York Times article also said that It seems inconsistent for companies to lobby Congress to provide rescue funds and liability protection against Covid-19 lawsuits and not at the same time robustly support vaccine mandates.