Unvaccinated workers returning to the office could be required to continue wearing masks, steer clear of common areas and face a staggered workday 鈥� or may even be asked to stay home, experts say.
As workplaces begin to reopen, employers are grappling with how to keep all workers safe 鈥� including those who are unvaccinated.
It鈥檚 a situation that risks stigmatizing vaccine holdouts and potentially triggering workplace anxiety for some, according to human resources experts.
Some employers have created incentives to encourage workers to get immunized against COVID-19, such as paid time off for inoculations and prizes like gift cards and company swag after a shot.
Others are considering policies that make vaccination a necessary condition of employment that could see workers who choose not to be vaccinated for personal reasons out of work.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had some clients that work in an office setting that want to propose a mandatory vaccine policy in their workplace,鈥� said Olivia Cicchini, an employment law specialist with Peninsula Canada, a Toronto-based human resources and health and safety consulting firm.
鈥淚f you can prove that you need that requirement, like if your workers are seeing clients or you don鈥檛 have enough room for physical distancing, then you might be able to justify it.鈥�
However, people who cannot be immunized for medical or religious reasons protected under human rights legislation as well as most unionized workers would be exempt from a mandatory vaccine requirement, she said.
ALSO READ:
鈥淚f your workplace is in Canada and it鈥檚 not unionized, employers can terminate employees for any reason at any time as long as that reason is not discriminatory,鈥� Cicchini said.
鈥淚f an employee chooses not to get vaccinated just because of personal choice, the employer could choose to terminate them on a without cause basis and provide them with their termination pay.鈥�
However, rules that single out employees who have opted out of vaccines 鈥� such as mandatory masks, a staggered workday or the segregation of unvaccinated workers to certain floors or areas of the office 鈥� raise concerns around privacy and stigmatization, experts say.
鈥淭heir vaccine status becomes very apparent to everyone in the office,鈥� said David Zweig, associate professor of organizational behaviour and human resources management at the University of Toronto.
鈥淚t becomes a bit of a privacy issue because suddenly, everyone knows that you did not get vaccinated.鈥�
Employers should first develop incentives to encourage vaccine-hesitant employees to get the jab, he said.
For example, Loblaw Companies Ltd. provides workers with up to three hours of paid time off for a vaccination, while Maple Leaf Foods has held multiple on-site vaccine clinics for its workers.
Still, while reducing the barriers to getting a vaccine and providing incentives are helpful, an employer鈥檚 top priority remains the collective safety of all employees, Zweig said.
鈥淚t means that if you鈥檙e someone who鈥檚 unvaccinated, you鈥檒l probably have to wear (personal protective equipment) when you go back into the office,鈥� Zweig said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a reasonable expectation to protect the safety of everyone else who is vaccinated.鈥�
He added: 鈥淭he key here is for employers to do whatever is necessary to ensure that people are safe and feel safe and mitigate some of these anxieties surrounding the return to work.鈥�
If unvaccinated workers are uncomfortable being singled out in the office, Zweig said there may be options to reasonably accommodate them through measures like a segregated workspace, staggered workday, different common areas or continued work from home.
Yet there could be career repercussions for workers who choose to continue working from home to avoid being vaccinated, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 probably guaranteed to have an impact on your career progression,鈥� Zweig said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e working from home, but your team is all back in the office, you鈥檙e out of the loop.鈥�
Ultimately, if someone is choosing not to be vaccinated for personal reasons 鈥渢hey have a choice to make,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hey have to deal with the consequences of their actions,鈥� Zweig said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l have to wear PPE when they鈥檙e at work and if someone unvaccinated is uncomfortable with that, then they have a choice to make.鈥�
Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on .
Want to support local journalism? Make a donation
