Should an employer insist that there is a 100% vaccination uptake from their employees?

Researchers at King's College London (KCL) and Ipsos Mori found only 53% of Britons would be certain or very likely to get vaccinated against COVID-19, with one in six (16%) saying they would definitely not or it would be very unlikely.1

The past few weeks has seen some positive and reassuring news that we seem to be getting closer and closer to a solution to the Coronavirus in the form of a vaccine. The announcement comes at the same time that different parts of Scotland are facing tough and more stringent measures like outlawing trips across the Scotland/England border as well as restricting travel within Scotland itself. Undoubtably, the idea of restricting our ability to go about our day to day life is contentious and divisive, and as soon as the vaccination program is available, the less restrictions we should face. However, there seems to be a mood growing of suspicion around the vaccination which leads to a question regarding the social/economic benefits of a vaccine versus an individual`s choice not to receive the vaccination.

The topic came about when I was discussing the position that a company might take in insisting all employees should be vaccinated and how this would impact the structure of working life in future months and years. If, for example, an employee refuses to be vaccinated against Covid19, do they have a greater occupational entitlement/requirement to work in isolation (potentially remotely), compared with an employee who has been inoculated?

This situation raises more questions than answers (and I am not implying that some people would refuse a medical intervention to prevent catching the virus in order to avoid traveling to an office), however there is a real question of personal responsibility versus personal anxiety over a new drug (for some people).

In a recent meeting, I was discussing my intention to hire a new member of staff for Able Bridge Recruitment. The issues that I face are the same for many of our clients. I like to induct them into the company face to face. I like to assess their day to day skills face to face and get a good feel for their key competencies. Unfortunately, like so many of my clients I am not used to this new way of working. By working through this situation, I can either continue to work in the way that I always have or move with the times. My responsibility however should be to protect business continuity, my staff and me. Does this ultimately mean that we should all be vaccinated and if so, surely it is unenforceable and against all employment laws, not to mention unethical? 

It has taken some time to come around to the new way of enforced working from home. This has had a major impact on companies hiring and the way that employees are engaged (or not as the case has been in many businesses). It is also fair to say that some of the global markets have been supressed and have struggled to stay afloat, however for those businesses who do emerge in 2021 in a healthy position, they will grow stronger as the economies grow. There is so much pent up demand for tourism and general consumerism that it is only a mater of time before we see a sharp rise in the economy.

Vaccination or not, we are more likely than not to continue the current patterns of working for the foreseeable future.  This means that historical geographical boundaries are being removed so that a person can conceivably work 300 miles away from their “main employers office”. Impacting on this also is the numbers of people that I have spoken to, both employer and employee, who have sited 2021 massively, as a year for career change. Unusually, in a new year, you tend to find the job market growing from bottom up, but next year I wouldn’t be surprised to see a growth at all levels. The strategy that we are taking to maximise the opportunities are to reach out to as many accountants and HR professionals to use this time to find out what they are seeking in their next role. If you are thinking of exploring the employment market as either an employee or employer, we would be delighted to provide you with more information and advice on more detailed trends.

1 (Sky news https://news.sky.com/story/why-do-some-people-still-refuse-vaccinations-12035274)