Several companies across the United States are reportedly dropping their vaccination mandates out of desperation to get employees back to the office.
In a report released by Axios on Friday, “employers are trying to reduce any barriers to entry for new hires and services company focused on the future of work, who’s hearing from executives who are dropping their mandates,” Erin Grau, co-founder of Charter, reportedly said.
“The requirements are also expensive and time-consuming for employers another reason to stop,” Grau added.
Although reports also found the risks of dropping these requirements, claiming that it would make some workers less willing to work with colleagues due to their fear of becoming sick, other companies preferred not to talk about it and only a few are making official public statements about it.
‘Reduce Any Barriers’: Corporate America Is Finally Ditching Vaccine Mandates https://t.co/c6oWNSu8yv
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 11, 2022
“[Companies] decided that the rationale for [mandates] had become weak enough that they don’t want to continue,” Jeff Levin-Scherz, population health leader at Willis Towers Watson, said during an interview with Axios.
On the other hand, just recently, Goldman Sachs announced their decision to lift vaccination requirements everywhere but New York City, where it still has a mandate for workplaces.
“With many tools including vaccination, improved treatments and testing now available, there is significantly less risk of severe illness,” Goldman said in a memo, announcing the change.
In June, Cisco also declared that it would stop requiring vaccination for “office entry, travel, event attendance, or visiting customers, partners, and other third parties.”
Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase declared that it would start hiring unvaccinated individuals again back in March.
On Thursday, the White House called on businesses to take certain actions and protect their customers and employees from COVID-19 this fall.
The Biden administration told employers that they should be “helping their employees access updated COVID-19 vaccines.”
The White House also recommends “employers share information on treatment options and improve indoor air quality, as well as provide paid time off for anyone getting a shot.”
“There are other things employers can do, as well, like telling people not to come in if they’re sick, and, if possible, offer remote work for those with symptoms,” Dr. Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University, said.
