Half of U.S. Workers Would Report Their Employer for Not Checking Covid-19 Vaccination Status
President Biden has a powerful ally in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic: The American worker.
About one in two professionals (46%) in the U.S. said they would report their employer if they were not checking COVID-19 vaccination status or testing employees weekly.
A new survey of more than 5,000 verified professionals in the U.S. by the anonymous professional social network Blind identified broad support for mandated vaccination and testing to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workers at technology companies were most likely to say they would report their employer for not complying with COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandates.
In contrast, employees at some of the largest banks were among the least likely to report their employers. Banks were among the first employers to require COVID-19 vaccination among employees, and many workers likely got vaccinated well in advance of President Biden’s announcement.
On Sept. 9, 2021, President Biden announced new rules that would require employers with 100 or more workers to be vaccinated or be tested for the coronavirus weekly. The requirements would impact as many as 100 million Americans, including private employers, health care providers, and federal employees and contractors. Federal workers will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than Nov. 22, 2021, or undergo weekly testing.
Blind found the President’s recent public health order has considerable popular support among workers in the U.S.
Three out of four professionals (76%) in the U.S. support Biden’s nationwide COVID-19 vaccination and testing mandate.
The broad approval may be due to a belief that the new public health guidelines could lead to a sense of normalcy.
About the same number of professionals (75%) said they would support the rules if it meant their community would end COVID-19 restrictions, according to Blind’s survey.
Are vaccine mandates enforceable?
President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be created, implemented and enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor and its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA is the government regulatory agency assigned to assure safe and healthy working conditions and has federal powers to inspect and examine workplaces.
Employees typically cannot directly sue their employer for violating or failing to comply with an OSHA rule. Instead, workers usually file complaints or become whistleblowers to report potential violations with OSHA so that the agency can begin an investigation and enforce the rule.
OSHA has enforced vaccinations in the past, including requiring vaccination in workplaces against hepatitis B.
OSHA can fine businesses up to $14,000 per violation for failing to comply with President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, the White House said in its announcement.
The bottom line
Employers might want to think twice before taking a “wait-and-see” approach or deciding not to enforce President Biden’s new COVID-19 vaccination and testing mandate.
An overwhelming majority of American workers support the public health requirements, and many professionals said they would report their employer if they were not checking COVID-19 vaccination status or testing employees weekly as required, according to Blind.
Methodology
Blind conducted an online survey of 5,241 verified professionals in the U.S. from Sept. 14 to 15, 2021, on its platform. Percentages reported may not add up to 100 due to rounding.