Most Employees Support Employer Measures to Prevent Spread of COVID-19

​Although some employees are opposed to being vaccinated against COVID-19, many workers support employer efforts to encourage or require vaccinations.

Seventy-eight percent of employees recently surveyed said employers should encourage or require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for in-person work: 44 percent said vaccines should be required and 34 percent said they should be encouraged. Nonetheless, 56 percent of the 1,001 employees across the U.S. surveyed by Eagle Hill Consulting in January said employers should require vaccine boosters.

These findings come despite reports that "vaccine incentives and disincentives could create morale issues and even cause employees to quit their jobs, which may be particularly taxing on employers managing labor shortages," noted Jeff Wilcox, an attorney with Hill Ward Henderson in Tampa, Fla.

Despite the survey results in favor of encouraging or requiring vaccines, 52 percent of those surveyed said they have increased anxiety about working in person due to the omicron variant and 55 percent said employers should reconsider back-to-workplace plans.

Mixed Views on Higher Insurance Rates

Views on higher health insurance rates were varied.

When asked whether unvaccinated employees should pay higher insurance rates, 47 percent said yes, the survey found. Generation Z workers (those born after 1996) were the least supportive of higher insurance rates—only 33 percent in support—while Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) were more supportive at 53 percent favoring them.

In Oct. 4, 2021, guidance, the Biden administration surprised plan administrators by announcing it would limit vaccine incentive or surcharge programs for unvaccinated health plan participants.

"The decision to treat a vaccine incentive or surcharge program as an activity-only program means that employers are now limited with respect to the level of surcharge [or incentive] that they can impose," said Christine Keller, an attorney with Groom Law Group in Washington, D.C.

Employers that wish to impose premium surcharges "have to develop reasonable alternatives to vaccination, which may be administratively burdensome and unworkable in practice," she said.

Other Employer Measures Favored

Most workers supported other employer actions to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to the survey.

When asked about employer COVID-19 testing and safety protocols, the poll found:

• 84 percent of workers agreed that employers should require or encourage social distancing.
• 82 percent agreed that employers should require or encourage employees to wear masks.
• 72 percent said employers should encourage or require temperature checks before entering the workplace.
• 60 percent supported employers requiring or encouraging testing before entering the workplace.

"The fast-spreading omicron variant has rattled employees while upending return-to-workplace plans," said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting in Arlington, Va. "The key takeaway from omicron is that the virus is still in control and employers must be in a perpetual pivot mode should another variant emerge." Recently there have been signs that the omicron variant may have peaked in parts of the nation.

"Our research indicates workers continue to want employers proactively involved in health and safety protocols," she said. "From vaccine and booster mandates to masking and social-distancing requirements, most workers continue to look to their employer to stay engaged in COVID-19 precautions."

SHRM Poll of U.S. Executives

Eighty-six percent of executives polled by SHRM in December agreed that existing policies and procedures aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace gave them confidence as omicron began spreading in the U.S.

Other key findings from SHRM's poll of U.S. executives found they were very or extremely concerned about their organization's ability to:

• Retain employees following news of omicron (65 percent).
• Recruit new talent following news of omicron (65 percent).
• Remain productive following news of omicron (62 percent). 
• Maintain employee morale and engagement following news of omicron (61 percent).

"Clearly, this variant is causing significant disruptions across the economy, and business leaders must continue taking steps to protect employees and their families and retain talent," said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and chief executive officer of SHRM. "Despite the anxiety, there is good news. Employers are confident the hard work of the last few years—all the planning and safety protocols—will help get them through the twists and turns of the pandemic."