Should anti-vaxxers be banned from workplaces?

Should anti-vaxxers be banned from workplaces?

Anti-vaxxers: Around 38% of the 13,000 professionals surveyed by Nature Medicine in November said they would ignore the advice from an employer to receive a Covid-19 vaccination.

Significantly, that would mean the UK wouldn’t be able to meet the WHO recommendation, the need for two-thirds of the population to be vaccinated in order for the pandemic threat to come to an end.

Growing activism

The statistic is just one signal of a mixed picture of attitudes to how the UK should move forward to end the crisis. Activism is growing internationally among groups who believe coronavirus restrictions have been out of proportion with the health risks, and have caused more harm than good in terms of lost jobs, isolation and damage to mental health.

London has seen a series of protest marches, including those led by the Save Our Rights UK group, calling for more protection for people’s rights, privacy, family life and medical freedoms. 

Under current regulations, employers cannot insist that employees take a vaccine; and there has been no indication, so far, of any sectors planning to introduce a requirement, even in healthcare.

Diversity still matters

“Everyone wants 2021 to see a return to something more like normal life,” says EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell. “There may be different views about how that can best happen, but employers need to ensure all of that spirit of togetherness during times of adversity, of being a community that supports each other and shares its challenges, isn’t lost.

“Respecting diversity of opinions can be as important as respecting other kinds of diversity. There are many different reasons why someone won’t want to take a vaccine once they become available – due to a pre-existing conditions or fears about side effects and implications for mental health. Under current rules, any employer who asks an anti-vaxxer not to come into work would be subject to a discrimination claim.

“Again, it’s when there are heightened tensions like these that EAPs are so important. Helping more people deal with their anxieties means employees as a community are more tolerant, more willing to listen to and understand the needs of others, to be trusting of their employer. That way, everyone stays positive, even if we don’t share the same views.”