And some of the largest companies are leading it.
But let’s rewind first to last month when the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals greenlit OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). That’s when things got very real for employers that had put off implementing the mandatory vaccine-or-test requirements.
It wasn’t long after that when the largest coffeehouse chain announced on January 4 that it would “implement and enforce a policy that requires employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing and wear a facial covering.”
But then the Supreme Court stuck a pin in the ETS on January 13 by reinstating a stay. And now the home of Frappuccinos and Pink Drinks is doing a 180.
Several news outlets, including The New York Times, report that approximately 228,000 employees won’t need to be fully vaccinated or receive weekly testing. They can choose to be vaccinated, but the company won’t require it. AP reports that other large employers are shelving their vaccine mandates too.
Some, however, are not. One of the largest banks in America, which announced in October that employees needed to be vaccinated or receive an accommodation by January 14, is following through. AP reports that 99% of its employees have complied so far.
Should your business continue to mandate vaccinations, testing, or both? What about boosters? These will be big topics of discussion when some friends and I host a free Zoom today at Noon ET on COVID-19 for businesses. We’ll recap the latest news, read some tea leaves, and answer your questions in a way that does not create any attorney-client privilege or involve providing any legal advice.
Click here to register. We hope that you can join us.