Some fear potential side effects, and more just aren’t sure about the quality and risks associated with a vaccine developed in an unprecedented nine months.
Tension is spreading across many U.S. workplaces as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) considers a proposal submitted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration earlier this month outlining rules requiring all private companies with 100 or more employees to require vaccination against COVID-19 or implement stringent testing programs.
When BioSpace surveyed its audience on the subject of vaccine mandates, the results were eye-opening. In the very industry that developed the three currently authorized vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty, Moderna’s mRNA shot and Johnson & Johnson’s adenovirus vector version – just 70% of respondents reported having been vaccinated. This is both lower than the national average, and at odds with the three-quarters of employers who believe that at least 80% of their workforce is vaccinated.
Source: Vaccine Mandates Report, Oct 2021 BioSapce
Tension permeates many U.S. workplaces this week as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) considers a proposal submitted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration earlier this month outlining rules requiring all private companies with 100 or more employees to require vaccination against COVID-19, or implement stringent testing programs.
When BioSpace surveyed its audience on the subject of vaccine mandates, the results were eye-opening. In the very industry that developed the three currently authorized vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty, Moderna’s (mRNA) shot and Johnson & Johnson’s adenovirus vector version – just 70% of respondents reported having been vaccinated. This is both lower than the National average, and at odds with the three-quarters of employers who believe that at least 80% of their workforce is vaccinated.
As of October 13, more than 3,500 organizations across various sectors had adopted vaccination mandates, and employers who have not yet done so want to know what the impact on workforce attrition will be if they do. They have good reason for concern, as 80% of those who are not vaccinated said they would resign if forced to get the vaccine.
For many employees, vaccine mandates are tantamount to an attack on their rights and freedoms as U.S. citizens. Some fear potential side effects, and more just aren’t sure about the quality and risks associated with a vaccine developed in an unprecedented nine months.
Some employees want to know who will be liable for potential adverse reactions, what is required for a medical exemption and who will cover the cost of weekly testing. Many are frustrated that “natural immunity” from a previous COVID-19 infection is not accepted as sufficient protection, and many see inconsistencies around testing programs and different testing requirements for visitors and employees. On the other side of the divide, some want their companies to reveal more information about the vaccination status of their colleagues and what employers plan to do to protect them from employees who receive exemptions.
Employees also expressed concern about the precedent potentially being set, asking questions like: “what is stopping this from intruding on other health matters or forcing other health mandates?”
It is apparent that the ultimate OSHA requirements will need to be crystal clear. Both employees and employers and have questions, and not all of them are being adequately answered.
Nearly one-third of employees found their employers to be lacking in response to their questions, while many employees and employers said there is not a way to submit confidential questions.
The fact that this is all occurring during a stressed labor market only heightens the pressure on private companies – particularly in the Life Sciences industry. With steep competition in a booming space, companies will need to walk a very fine line.
Subscribe to GenePool to receive our Special Edition Vaccine Mandates Report including a link to the full report.
