It’s legal for businesses to require the shots, and they could fire employees who don’t comply. Workers can be required to wear masks or get regular tests for the virus.
What can employers do if workers avoid COVID-19 vaccines? They can require vaccination and fire employees who don’t comply or take other actions such as withholding company perks or charging extra for health insurance. For months, businesses have been encouraging workers to get vaccinated, in some cases offering incentives like time off or gift cards. But more are taking a harder stance and requiring vaccinations for any remaining holdouts, a push that has gained momentum since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Employers “feel like they’ve sort of hit that point where the unvaccinated are not going to do it unless there’s something significant making them do it,” said Wade Symons, a partner with the benefits consulting firm Mercer.
