Hoosiers are returning to work faster than most of the country, as unemployment numbers have dipped back to pre-pandemic levels in recent weeks.
However, that doesn’t mean employers aren’t still having trouble establishing new health guidelines within their offices.
With the workforce strengthening, many employers have mulled over whether or not they should require those returning to in-person settings to have proof of vaccination.
The best way to avoid serious illness or death from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated, and we will continue to encourage everyone to get it, but forcing employees to get their shots(s) isn’t the way to go.
Whether or not offices can require vaccinations is a bit of a gray area in Indiana.
Thankfully, the Indiana General Assembly created a law this past session to prohibit "vaccine passports." Some states have already adopted such measures; not allowing individuals into certain places unless they can prove vaccination.
Indiana’s new law doesn’t, however, explicitly prevent a private business from requiring a vaccination for employment.
At the same time, a worker can refuse getting a vaccine on religious grounds, or if their physicians recommend they not get vaccinated. According to the Indianapolis Business Journal, an "employer would have to show that unvaccinated employees would pose a ‘direct threat’ to the workplace and cause a significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of others. Often, those standards are difficult to define."
Forcing an employee to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but not others, to prevent disease is a slippery slope.
Rather than taking that route, employers should continue to encourage workers to get the vaccine through incentives.
Some companies have gone as far as offering cash bonuses and vacation days if their employee gets vaccinated. In Columbus, Cummins Inc. has made it easier for employees to get vaccinated by hosting on-campus clinics.
Thus far, we are not aware of any local businesses forcing employees to get vaccinated. Even Columbus Regional Health doesn’t have the requirement.
Efforts need to continue to encourage Hoosiers to get vaccinated, but threatening to take a job away or not hire a candidate due to their medical records shouldn’t be an option.
