An uncomfortable question to ask. The proverbial can of worms has been opened, and the lid was thrown over the fence.
In short, there is no definite answer to this complex issue.
Over 40 subscribers made their case, many going into detail. It would be
unfair and unprofessional to quote, or even worse, to paraphrase or
digest experts’ comments; this is not a job for a watchmaker. However,
it is obvious that there are three major approaches that businesses are using to ‘handle’ the issue.
Before we go there, let's point out the obvious: if as a business owner
you intend to act in any way, seek professional advice or at least, do
your own research. Don't rush into it, or blindly copy someone's
solution because copy and paste may not work. Such an approach can
actually cause more harm than good.
1. "Brute force"
Make the vaccination and testing compulsory to all employees. Those who
refuse to get vaccinated are required to provide negative test results
every 3 days. Businesses which have implemented brute force techniques
are reporting amazingly high vaccination rates. Also, they are confident
that the Government is "silently behind them". Beware: while the
Government may be sympathetic to businesses taking matters into their
own hands, only a handful of industries have an official blessing. What
works for health workers may not necessarily work for watchmakers or
machinists.
Quite frankly, I was shocked at Alan Joyce's comment that any staff that
refused the covid vaccination as part of the Qantas ‘no jab, no job’
policy will have decided that "aviation is not the area for them". Can
you seriously say that to a pilot with 30 years’ experience? I certainly
cannot and will not corner my highly trained employees who are vital
and irreplaceable.
2. "Softly and gently"
There are many cases where throwing a few dollars on a problem could do
wonders, but any solution that can be bought with money alone is a cheap
solution. Unfortunately, monetary incentive is problematic in a number
of ways: it opens a business to discrimination. If an employee has a
genuine reason not to be vaccinated, then he could feel discriminated
against with the incentive policy. If he develops a health problem a day
or five years later, then he could potentially sue the business for
damages. A business cannot offer an incentive to employees yet to be
vaccinated; the offer has to be retroactive and apply to those who are
already vaccinated. Money exchanging hands is an accounting issue. A
fellow subscriber, a barrister and an expert in employment matters
offered his advice: "Nick, go for it, I see no legal issue here, and if
you get sued, I'll defend you for free." He said that in all earnest,
but what I heard is: "If the parachute fails to open, the funeral is on
us".
Softly and gently may work for employees, but it is costly and unnecessary to the business.
3. “Sit tight and watch”
Put emotions aside - the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In the kind of pandemic we are in now, doing absolutely nothing is an option as good as any.
Until we get better understanding of what is really going on, the
severity of crisis and health implications, rattling and fiddling with
employment arrangements could be counterproductive. At the end of the
day, our goal should be to survive, regroup and move on. While it is
difficult to estimate what percentage of businesses will opt for "sit
and wait", right now the idea of treading cautiously does make a lot of
sense. At the end of the day, neither brute force nor coercion will make
business relationships stronger. Empathy and cooperation will.
Judging by your replies and suggestions, one thing is clear: the vast
majority of us here are normal people. Passionate, and perhaps,
confused, but well intended. And the good news is that no matter what,
common sense will prevail, and most of us will survive this madness. I
am happy to say that I got my second Pfizer at exactly 10:30 today. The
whole process from arranging the vaccination to the vaccination itself
was smooth, and professionally conducted by health workers. I have no
reason to doubt medical science nor to question the Government’s
intentions. I am taking a calculated risk and I am perfectly happy with
my choice. And equally, I respect your choice too.
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