A new survey shows that more than half of Georgia employees think companies should require vaccine disclosures.
Although there is no legal obligation to share your vaccination status with everyone who may ask, this information might be required in certain circumstances. In a similar way that schools ask for details about childhood vaccinations, companies might inquire about employees’ vaccine status as a matter of health and safety for other people who work in the workplace.
Even though vaccinated employees are less likely to get seriously ill, it’s still possible for them to become infected with the coronavirus as they return to the workplace.
Background check and screening company, iprospectcheck.com, conducted a survey of 3,000 employees and found that more than half (51%) of Georgia employees think it should be a mandatory requirement to disclose your vaccine status to your employer. This compares to a national average of 57%.
Those in Massachusetts and Hawaii were most supportive of this idea, with 79% of employees here saying improper disclosure of vaccine status should result in disciplinary action. By comparison, employees in Louisiana seemed slightly more apprehensive of disclosing this information at work, but 31% were still in agreement.
Here is an interactive map showing responses across the country
It appears many employees take the disclosure of vaccine status very seriously as nearly half (42%) say they should have the right to take legal action against their employer if there are inadequate safeguards against unvaccinated colleagues at work.
Nearly 1 in 5 (16%) even believe improper disclosure of vaccine status should lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination of the employee. 14% think improper disclosure should lead to employee suspension.
To maintain a high level of safety, over half (55%) of employees think it should be mandatory for all staff to take daily COVID tests in the workplace as a precaution.
Lastly, the survey also found that 42% of employees would be more concerned about sharing a workplace with an unvaccinated colleague than one who has a lengthy criminal record.
‘The idea of being required to disclose one’s vaccine status to an employer can be a contentious one. However, as employers begin to require employees to return to the office, the health and safety of all employees is a very high priority for employers.’ says Matthew Rodgers, President of iprospectcheck.
