Waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine? Don't waste time, create a plan now

There's a real possibility the United States will approve a COVID-19 vaccine in the coming months, but debate and uncertainty continue about when it will become public. When it happens, you'll face the question of whether to require employees to be vaccinated, and you need to start planning now. Many of you confront a similar question each year when you contemplate requiring employees to get a flu shot. Given the speed of the COVID-19 research process, you should create a plan before a vaccine is approved.

Mandate the vaccine?

Employers with a history of requiring flu vaccines in the workplace have likely already established a baseline for how they will approach the COVID-19 vaccination question. Most important, barring a state law prohibition on mandatory vaccines, you can require vaccines but must account for employees who need reasonable medical or religious accommodations.

You may rely on the same framework you use for flu shots to assess whether to mandate a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, state law may require some employers (notably, healthcare facilities) to mandate employee vaccinations to protect the public. Many states require vaccinations for chickenpox, measles, tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases.

Key considerations

Critical to establishing a mandatory vaccine program are the following considerations.