January 2021 - LJS HR Services

Our New “Normal”: COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Workplace

Samantha Badr

While some can’t get their hands on the COVID-19 vaccine soon enough, others are dreading it. To some it’s a magic potion that will bring us back to pre-COVID times, but to others, it’s poison. Everyone has their reason for wanting or not wanting the vaccine, creating a heated debate in many workplaces.

A new rule implemented Dec.16,2020 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), however, leaves little room for discussion. The EEOC rule maintains that employers can encourage or even require COVID-19 vaccinations. That said, any new policy must comply with workplace laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

I spoke with a few different people for their opinion and as you may have guessed – workplace, age, and gender all seem to have varying influences on peoples’ views on the COVID-19 vaccine. Perhaps more concerning is that employers themselves – including those in the health care industry – don’t have clear guidelines on how to proceed. Much like the beginning of the pandemic when many questions did not have answers, employers are scrambling to figure out whether or not they should mandate vaccinations moving forward, as the world tries to shift into slowly re-opening businesses again.

The COVID-19 vaccine comes with a laundry list of both pros and cons. For starters, peace of mind. In the healthcare field, where many hospitals were promoting a 95 percent success rate of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, a doctor who got the vaccine might feel better knowing he or she is less likely to catch the virus or bring it home to his or her family after a long shift of managing countless patients. A nurse that I spoke with said many hospitals are encouraging staff members to get vaccinated since they’re working with high-risk patients on a daily basis. She told me that her hospital did not necessarily require the vaccine, but they were encouraged to receive both doses.

A waiter that I spoke to said the restaurant industry appeared to be leaving the decision up to workers. Servers and hostesses are at greater risk of contracting the virus than kitchen workers, since they are the ones dealing with customers. While business owners want to open and make their living, they also need to protect the health and safety of their staff and customers. Requiring vaccinations for their employees would greatly ensure they are, in fact, in good health. Not only that, if restaurants mandated vaccinations for employees, indoor dining could resume sooner. A massive amount of sales come from indoor dining, which was banned in New York as of mid-January. If restaurant workers were vaccinated and indoor dining was given the green light, many businesses crippled by the pandemic could potentially have their livelihoods back.

While some corporate companies have made working from home “the new normal,” many employees are desperate to head back into the office. My friend’s dad, for example, thrived on his daily routine working downtown at the office. That’s the way it was for the better part of three decades. When everything shut down in March 2020, water cooler talk, lunch outings and post-work gym sessions were no longer options. Adjusting to a new schedule all from home and the lack of social interaction caused a severe depression for him. Daily, face-to-face communication in offices boost employee morale and increase productivity across the board. People are simply tired of being confined in their home and I don’t blame them. If offices reopened only for those who were vaccinated, those who wanted to return might have more of an incentive to get the vaccines.

One of the most widely reported cons to the COVID-19 vaccine seems to be the fact that there is still a 5 percent chance that COVID-19 can be contracted. Getting vaccinated doesn’t eliminate the face mask requirement. People would still have to practice social distancing. Everyone would still bear the risk of the virus every day. Not mandating the COVID-19 vaccine could potentially pose a huge liability for employers. As many HR professionals know, employers are required to provide a safe work environment under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). If employees get very sick, they can possibly sue their employer for violating OSHA laws. Another con of the vaccine is that it is extremely new and absolutely no long-term research has been done. Many people are holding off on getting the vaccine because there are still so many unanswered questions about the long-term effects.

In conclusion, there are always advantages and disadvantages to any new policy. COVID-19 is not a situation to take lightly, as proven in the mess that was 2020. I know that everyone can agree that they want life to resume to normal as quickly as possible, but at what cost to the employees and employers? Even if an organization mandates a vaccine, there are always going to be exceptions, such as religious and disability reasons. Employers are still bearing the cost of being creative in ensuring a safe workplace. That could mean moving staff around to places with less human contact or carrying the financial burden of requiring un-vaccinated staff to be consistently tested. On the plus side, the more vaccinations, the more businesses can reopen.

Although it seems most employers are still navigating how to handle the COVID-19 vaccine, making the right choice is crucial because COVID-19 has a way of being non-discriminatory – and that is the worst con of all.

For more information I have attached an article from the CDC that sheds some light on the science behind both COVID vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html

Also attached is an article from the EEOC that can provide insight on COVID-19 vaccinations in regards to EEO laws: https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-covid-19-and-ada-rehabilitation-act-and-other-eeo-laws

Meet my blogger – Samantha Badr, a former student, and aspiring HR professional. Samantha will be writing about hot HR topics for LJS HR Services. Listen up – she’s got stuff to say!

COVID-19: A Blessing or a Curse for HR?

Samantha Badr

Raise your hand if you were personally victimized by 2020. I think everyone can agree that COVID-19 shook us to our core and changed the way we live, forever. Backtracking to January of 2020, I was excited for the new year and all the goals I had set. For reference, I was an adorable 27-year-old who had just obtained a Master of Science in Human Resources from Villanova University. I received my Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Pace University, where I was lucky enough to be taught by the one and only, Lisa Stamatelos.

I thought that I had polished my resume just right to appeal to companies as I was applying for jobs. Then COVID-19 became our reality. The whole world was at a standstill. Millions of jobs at stake, and many more shifting into a “new normal”. I kept applying and luckily, I landed two job interviews. Both were with Health Insurance companies. Both jobs dealt with compliance, and I would mostly be working over the phone. I thought that it was a good opportunity to build my resume, so I was excited about the interviews. In the first interview, I met with one of the founders of the company. He asked me generic interview questions and was impressed by my degree in HR. Unfortunately, he informed me that I was “overqualified” for this position because it was entry-level and I didn’t have the “background” he was looking for. I didn’t take it personally and I tried to stay motivated for my second interview.

For the second job, I met with the company’s recruiter. The same standard questions applied. She asked about my resume and former experience, and how I thought my 10-year background in the hospitality industry would benefit from a role in compliance/customer service. I left the interview confident that I would land the job. Unfortunately, it seemed that I did not have the “corporate experience” she was looking for. I felt stuck. When I graduated from Pace, it was preferred that all HR professionals have the extra knowledge/education to stand out in the job market. By 2020, it was preferred that entry-level applicants have all these years of corporate experience.

I recently had an interesting conversation with an HR professional who had the complete opposite background that I did. She has been working in payroll for about 15 years at a very successful corporation. With COVID-19 restrictions, she found herself picking up the slack for the employees laid off or employees that were out of the office because they had symptoms of the virus. She tried to apply for different HR jobs within the company but was denied because she didn’t have the education necessary for these positions. The employees in higher positions with Master’s degrees were underqualified in her opinion, and it left her very dissatisfied with her job. On paper, we both appear very different, but both have a common goal; looking for HR positions during a pandemic, but being lost in the mix of all these requirements.

Harvard Business Review published “21 HR Jobs of the Future” (linked below) in August of 2020 about HR making a comeback during these trying times. Many new roles are being developed within the HR department and that gives me hope for a better future. Out of the 21 jobs, a couple really resonated with me. Meister and Brown discussed roles such as Director of Wellbeing and how it “could provide strategic management over wellness and design services and practices to nurture the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health of all employees”. This is extremely important as mental health issues are on the rise because people aren’t leaving their houses or able to have face-to-face communication on a daily basis. Meister and Brown also mentioned roles like a Strategic HR Business Continuity Director and how it would “lead the HR response team and work with the CEO, CFO, CIO, and the Facilities Director to propose how to create a safe workplace – for both onsite and remote workers”. COVID-19 vaccines are now being administered and it is beneficial for HR professionals to work with management leaders to ensure safety for its employees across the board.

Although 2020 was a year for learning, 2021 is the year for growth. For all HR professionals in the workforce, have hope that new systems are being put in place to protect your mental and physical health for now and in the future. For the HR applicants, it is our time to stay motivated and keep applying because new jobs are being developed. Moreover, it is refreshing to hear that HR is being recognized for the work it does in every organization. Even with the growth of technology in 2020, companies are aware that they cannot survive without their employees and that their health should be a priority this upcoming year.

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