The challenges employers face in the United States to vaccinate workers

Employers in the United States are lose patience with workers who do not want to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

For months, most employers have turned to information campaigns, bonuses and other incentives to encourage their workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, a growing number of them are imposing rules to make life difficult for those who refuse to be vaccinated, from direct orders to the requirement of regular testing for the coronavirus.

Employers who take a tougher stance understand the federal government, the governments of California and New York, The tech giants Google and Facebook, Walt Disney Co. and the NFL. Some hospitals, universities, restaurants, bars and other entertainment establishments have also started requiring their workers to be vaccinated.

But the new measures are unlikely to affect the millions of Americans who have not been vaccinated.

Many companies requesting vaccination have mainly workers who are already vaccinated and do not want to work alongside those who are not.

In contrast, large firms that depend on low-income workers –such as food producers, warehouses, supermarkets and other chain stores– avoid vaccination orders for fear of driving employees away and exacerbating labor shortages.

Tyson Foods, for example, said about half of its employees in the United States, or some 56,000 people, have been vaccinated after the meat and poultry processor has held more than 100 vaccination events since February.. However, the company said it did not plan to impose a prescription for inoculation of the other half.

Walmart and Amazon, two of the country’s largest private employers, also refused to demand that their workers be vaccinated and continued to rely on strategies such as bonus and on-site access to vaccines. But in a potentially powerful sign, Walmart said employees at its headquarters will need to get vaccinated by October 4.

The biggest precedent to date comes from the federal government, the country’s largest employer. President Joe biden announced last week that all federal employees and contractors they must be vaccinated or undergo weekly tests and lose privileges such as official travel.

The federal government has said it will cover the costs of the weekly tests. As for other employers, insurance may pay for such tests in some workplaces but not in others.

Biden’s decision could embolden other employers noting that they would have a solid legal basis to impose similar rules, said Brian Kropp, research manager for the human resources practice at Gartner consulting.

But Kropp said that some companies face complex considerations that go beyond legality, including deep vaccine resistance in many of the states where they operate.

Retailers like Walmart may find it difficult to justify vaccine requirements for their employees and allow shoppers to remain unvaccinated, Kropp added. Mostly, stores have avoided vaccine requirements for customers for fear of alienating them and because of the difficulty in trying to verify their status.

In Gartner surveys, less than 10% of employers said they intended to require all employees to be vaccinated.

But a change is taking place amid the frustration over the stagnant vaccination rate and the alarm on the spread of the most contagious delta variant.

On Monday, America has finally met Biden’s goal of giving at least one injection to 70% of American adultsBut with a month behind schedule and in the midst of a ferocious increase that is pushing the number of hospitalizations in some places to their highest level since the start of the epidemic. The president hoped to achieve his goal on July 4.

Union Square Hospitality Group, a New York restaurant and bar group founded by Danny meyer, now requires employees and customers to be vaccinated before September 7.

The San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance, a group of about 300 nudes, took a similar decision after a meeting in which “what emerges anger and frustration ”in the face of vaccine refusalssaid founder Ben Bleiman.

While some companies fear that vaccination mandates will alienate workers, the pandemic itself is also the cause of absenteeism. Bleiman said he recently had to shut down his bar overnight after his server, who was fully vaccinated, he tested positive and no replacement could be found.

Some employers come to the conclusion that requiring vaccinations is easier than trying to set different rules on masks and social distancing for the small number of unvaccinated employees.

BlackRock, the global investment manager, it currently only allows vaccinated workers in its US offices and has said people will be free to dispense with masks, as permitted by local health guidelines, and sit side by side and meet without restrictions. The firm said 85% of its U.S. employees are vaccinated or in the process of receiving them.

Hospitals and nursing homes, for example, are increasingly in need of the vaccine. So far, these warrants have survived legal challenges. More than 150 Houston hospital system employees who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were fired or resigned after a judge dismissed a lawsuit over the requirement..

Atria Senior Living, which operates over 200 households seniors nationwide, was one of the first to order vaccines for its staff in January.

It worked. Almost 99% of Atria’s 10,000 employees are vaccinated, and only a small fraction resigns above the requirement, said CEO and Chairman John Moore. “Our residents deserve to live in a vaccinated environment. Our staff deserve to work in a vaccinated environmentMoore said.

(With AP information)

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