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The Employer Handbook Blog
POLL RESULTS: Don’t discipline employees that spread COVID-19 misinformation
Image by Craig Clark from Pixabay
Getting in late from the Sixers/Wizards game last night — no, I didn’t dump popcorn on Russ Westbrook — I had no time to enjoy the Wednesday evening routine of a lime rickey, bubblegum cigarette, and writing the next day’s blog post.
Silver lining: I only have to spend a few minutes this morning posting a shorty about the results of yesterday’s blog poll.
ICYMI, yesterday’s post was about a vacation rental listing that supposedly precluded anyone who had been vaccinated for COVID-19 from renting and the rental company’s subsequent listing suspension “for promoting COVID misinformation in violation of our content policy.”
So, I asked you folks two related questions:
- How would your company respond to an employee who promotes COVID-19 misinformation in the workplace?
- How SHOULD a company that mandates, encourages, or incentivizes COVID-19 vaccinations respond to an employee who promotes COVID-19 misinformation in the workplace?
Thank you for taking the anonymous poll. Here is how you responded:
How would your company respond to an employee who promotes COVID-19 misinformation in the workplace?
- 62.2% – No discipline (perhaps just counseling)
- 19.6% – Discipline (something less than termination of employment)
- 1.3% – Terminate employment
- 17% – Something else
How SHOULD a company that mandates, encourages, or incentivizes COVID-19 vaccinations respond to an employee who promotes COVID-19 misinformation in the workplace?
- 42.2% – No discipline (perhaps just counseling)
- 32.6% – Discipline (something less than termination of employment)
- 6.1% – Terminate employment
- 19.1% – Something else
Among the “something else,” people mostly focused on coaching and education as the proper response.
Some feared getting involved because of the difficulty of what constitutes “COVID-19 misinformation.” Although, one person — possibly a snarky blogger — suggested incentivizing the anti-vaxxer to do a 180 by offering that employee free passes and a one-way trip to the flat-earth convention. 🤐
Come back tomorrow when ***cracks knuckles*** I plan to blog about this. 👀 So, I’d better check on my lime rickey supplies.
“Jeeves, I’ve got a doozy! Have the liquor store deliver a case of London Dry or maybe that boojie Botanist stuff that Babish is always hocking on his YouTube Channel!”