COVID-19 Vaccinations For The Workplace: What You Should Know

With safety being a top priority among many organizations looking to return to the office and the COVID-19 vaccine being widely available in the U.S.—vaccination mandates have been adopted at a federal level in order to help combat the virus. As the global COVID situation remains volatile, it’s important to consider what this means for the future of the workplace and for your situation specifically. Whether you’re an organization or employee looking for guidance on how to navigate this new and evolving landscape, here are some trends you should be aware of when it comes to vaccinations for the workplace:

President Biden’s new executive order

Recently the government mandated that all federal workers be vaccinated, or subject to regular testing by November 22nd of 2021. This now includes contractors that work for the federal government. In addition, that mandate is now expanding to private sector business. Under President Biden’s executive order, OSHA is developing a rule that will carry out the mandate—requiring private employers across the country with 100+ employees to be vaccinated or produce a negative test result weekly. About 80 million workers will be affected. States not covered by federal OSHA rules will need to implement their own programs that are deemed just as effective.

Resume and LinkedIn additions

As COVID vaccinations for the workplace are being mandated, vaccination statuses are becoming a hot feature for job seekers to add to their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. While you are certainly not required to disclose this information on your resume or LinkedIn profile, a study by Resume Builder claims 69% of hiring managers were more likely to favor applicants who have been vaccinated over those who haven’t. While qualifications are still the most important facet in landing an interview, this additional upfront information may give job seekers a leg up in the hiring process—especially if the employer requires vaccinations.

Some ways job seekers are making note of their vaccination status include, adding a vaccination hashtag to their LinkedIn profile headline, updating their ‘About’ section with a short blurb, and/or adding it as an attribute to the top of their resumes.

As an employer, taking note of this feature may make sorting through applicants easier, but means you could also miss out on top talent who are vaccinated, but aren’t up to speed with this new trend or who choose not to be vaccinated for personal reasons but will opt into regular testing. If you require vaccinations for the workplace or would like job seekers to place their vaccination status on their applications, make sure you make this known upfront in the job description to avoid any confusion on your policies.

Employee access to vaccines and testing

As we see more people getting on board with COVID vaccine or testing mandates, it’s important to think about the access your employees have to these options. While the U.S. government does mandate that employers have to provide paid time off for COVID vaccinations and recovery from the effects, employers should be thinking about how they can further make these mandates easier on their employees.  Whether that be on-site testing and vaccinations or education about where to get a test or vaccine, consider doing what you can to help mitigate employee stress during this transition.

DISCLAIMER: The law and guidance around COVID-19 is evolving frequently. The Execu|Search Group has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided in this article. However, this information is provided for educational purposes only, and nothing on our website constitutes legal advice. We recommend consulting with your legal counsel to ensure your compliance with applicable law.