Mandate or not, 6 in 10 small-business owners to require vaccination
66 percent say that they have lost revenue because of employees taking time off after getting COVID.
Businesses with more than 100 employees will be required to vaccinate their workforce under the Biden administration’s recent mandate. Most smaller businesses will follow suit, according to a new survey from Digital.com.
The viewpoint of Yungi Chu, owner of Headset Plus, is typical of many small-business owners. “Now that the vaccine has been FDA approved, I am requiring all my employees to be vaccinated,” he said. “Unless an employee has a medical reason why they cannot, it will not be an option. It’s the only way to keep every employee safe in the office and warehouse.”
Among the survey findings:
The majority of small businesses will require vaccination. Fitty-nine percent of respondents said vaccination will be mandatory, while 23 percent said they were at least considering it. Just 19 percent of the small business owners said they would not require new hires to be vaccinated.
Related: Businesses question logistics, cost of Biden vaccine plan
Many will fire employees for non-compliance. Of the businesses that say they will require new hires to be vaccinated or are at least thinking of doing so, 78 percent are requiring their current employees to get the vaccine. Of this group, 75 percent say that they would fire an employee for not complying with their vaccine requirement, assuming that the employee is abstaining for personal and not health reasons.
Employers are learning from the past. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed said that one or more of their current employees have tested positive for COVID, and 66 percent say that they have lost revenue because of employees taking time off after getting COVID.
The labor shortage is a factor. When asked if the current labor shortage had an effect on their decision to hire unvaccinated employees, 34 percent said it did. Small businesses are having enough trouble as it is finding people to hire, so many owners may be trying to avoid deterring any potential new applicants.
Most will provide paid time off for treatment. Regardless of whether they are requiring vaccines for new hires, current employees or no employees, 79 percent of small business owners say they will provide paid time off for employees to quarantine or go to the hospital if the test positive for COVID.
Employees are concerned about unvaccinated coworkers. Sixty-five percent say their employees have expressed worries about coworkers not being vaccinated, while 67 percent say employees have shared worries about complying with virus prevention measures in the workplace.
“I just don’t see how a business can operate fully in person and prevent a COVID outbreak or even death without all employees fully vaccinated,” Chu said. “I understand I may lose some employees because of this vaccine requirement, but it’s a requirement I must make. Any employee who does not comply will be let go.”
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