The recent Food and Drug Administration approvals of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 has many employers considering whether and how to implement workplace vaccination policies and mandates. During a recent 60-minute webinar, our panel, which included two NP Alums—Matthew Frankel (Assistant General Counsel, College of the Holy Cross) and Renee Jackson (Chief Compliance Officer and Associate General Counsel, Wish); Ruth Ann Castro (Senior Counsel of Global Environmental Health and Safety, Google); and two NP Labor & Employment partners—Rachel Conn and Jeff Gilbreth, discussed their experiences, best practices, challenges, and other considerations for implementing mandatory vaccination policies.
A few key takeaways for our conversation included:
- Stay informed. This is a rapidly evolving situation with rules and regulations being developed at the local, state, and national levels. With so much information to consume and digest, the ability to stay current on the latest developments is difficult. Those who stay informed will have a higher likelihood of developing successful and enduring policies and procedures.
- Develop a process. With so much to do, it is imperative to have a process in place and to specify who will be responsible for handling specific tasks. Doing so will help ensure consistent and timely administration of the policy, as well as any medical and/or religious exemptions and related accommodations.
- Communicate and ask questions. You are not alone. Everyone is working through the very same vaccination issues. Reach out to your network, including colleagues at other companies, with questions and/or consult your NP L&E attorney who has been on the front lines of this topic.
Please reach out to me, my co-presenters, Rachel Conn and Jeff Gilbreth, or your Nixon Peabody Labor & Employment attorney with any concerns you might have or to discuss how we can assist you.