Skip to main content
Best News Website or Mobile Service
WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Best News Website or Mobile Service
Digital Media Awards Worldwide 2022
Hamburger Menu

Advertisement

Advertisement

Commentary

Commentary: Would unvaccinated US workers quit rather than get the COVID-19 vaccine?

In surveys, workers say they will resign if employers introduce workplace vaccine mandates, but real-world data may not bear that out, say US researchers.

Commentary: Would unvaccinated US workers quit rather than get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Protesters opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates hold a rally in downtown Los Angeles, Sep 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

FLORIDA: Are workplace vaccine mandates prompting some employees to quit rather than get a shot?

A hospital in Lowville, New York, had to shut down its maternity ward when dozens of staffers left their jobs rather than get vaccinated. At least 125 employees at Indiana University Health resigned after refusing to take the vaccine.

And several surveys have shown that as many as half of unvaccinated workers insist they would leave their jobs if forced to get the shot, which has raised alarms among some that more mandates could lead to an exodus of workers in many industries.

But how many will actually follow through?

STRONG WORDS

In June 2021, we conducted a nationwide survey, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that gave us a sample of 1,036 people who mirrored the diverse makeup of the United States.

We asked respondents to tell us what they would do if “vaccines were required” by their employer. We prompted them with several possible actions, and they could check as many as they liked.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on efforts to increase vaccinations on Sep 9, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

We found that 16 per cent of employed respondents would quit, start looking for other employment or both if their employer instituted a mandate. Among those who said they were “vaccine hesitant” - almost a quarter of respondents - we found that 48 per cent would quit or look for another job.

Other polls have shown similar results. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey put the share of workers who would quit at 50 per cent.

Separately, we found in our survey that 63 per cent of all workers said a vaccine mandate would make them feel safer.

QUIETER ACTIONS

But while it is easy and cost-free to tell a pollster you’ll quit your job, actually doing so when it means losing a paycheck you and your family may depend upon is another matter.

And based on a sample of companies that already have vaccine mandates in place, the actual number who do resign rather than get the vaccine is much smaller than the survey data suggest.

Houston Methodist Hospital, for example, required its 25,000 workers to get a vaccine by Jun 7. Before the mandate, about 15 per cent of its employees were unvaccinated. By mid-June, that percentage had dropped to 3 per cent and hit 2 per cent by late July.

A total of 153 workers were fired or resigned, while another 285 were granted medical or religious exemptions and 332 were allowed to defer it.

At Jewish Home Family in Rockleigh, New Jersey, only five of its 527 workers quit following its vaccine mandate. Two out of 250 workers left Westminster Village in Bloomington, Illinois, and even in deeply conservative rural Alabama, a state with one of the lowest vaccine uptake rates, Hanceville Nursing & Rehab Center lost only six of its 260 employees.

Is it time for COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Singapore? Listen to infectious diseases experts weigh in on CNA's Heart of the Matter:

Delta Airlines didn’t mandate a shot, but in August it did subject unvaccinated workers to a US$200 per month health insurance surcharge. Yet the airline said fewer than 2 per cent of employees have quit over the policy.

And at Indiana University Health, the 125 workers who quit are out of 35,800 total employees, or 0.3 per cent.

MAKING IT EASY TO GET VACCINATED

Past vaccine mandates, such as for the flu, have led to similar outcomes: Few people actually quit their jobs over them.

And our research suggests in public communications there are a few things employers can do to minimise the number of workers who quit over the policy.

It starts with building trust with employees. Companies should also make it as easy as possible to get vaccinated - such as by providing on-site vaccine drives, paid time off to get the shot and deal with side effects, and support for child care or transportation.

Finally, research shows it helps if companies engage trusted messengers including doctors, colleagues and family to share information on the vaccine.

In other words, vaccine mandates are unlikely to result in a wave of resignations – but they are likely to lead to a boost in vaccination rates.

Jack J Barry is a postdoctoral research associate in the Centre for Public Interest Communications, the University of Florida. Ann Christiano is Director and Annie Neimand is Research Director at the same institution. This commentary first appeared in The Conversation.

Source: CNA/ch

Advertisement

Also worth reading

Advertisement