by: howard levitt
i predicted back in july that ontario’s seneca college would be the forerunner, not the outlier, in the march toward mandatory workplace vaccinations. now, with the federal government stepping into that breach, requiring not only federal public servants to be vaccinated, but all employees who are federally regulated, and the city of toronto following suit, my words appear prescient.
many employers have quickly joined the fray and my office has been busy drafting workplace vaccination policies for companies (and even law firms) big and small.
when asked by clients what their policies should consist of, my initial response is always: ”what do you wish it to be?” and then we can devise it. employers have considerable power in mandating this and their policies should, as with all policies, be consistent with their corporate culture.
some want to be leaders in health matters and have an environment where staff and customers need not fear to tread. others are more concerned with the voices of those resisting vaccinations and want to avoid a divided workplace. however, not requiring vaccinations provides no respite from that conflict, as many vaccinated employees increasingly have been expressing concern with employers that permit the unvaccinated to enter their workplaces. indeed, we receive many enquiries from employees concerned that their employers, or managers themselves, are unvaccinated.