Just about everyone is tired of the Covid-19 vaccine debate, but it’s time to start pushing another vaccination–for the flu.
The flu is a terrible disease in its own right, but it turns out the flu vaccine has another benefit: It can reduce the effects of Covid.
While the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and the Federal Courts have clearly said that employers can mandate Covid vaccinations, many employees are hesitant. Some of that hesitancy comes because the Covid vaccine is not formally approved by the FDA but approved under Emergency Use Authorization. The flu shot, on the other hand, has been formally approved for years and years. While it won’t stop someone from getting Covid, it may reduce the severity if they do get it. If your goal is healthy employees, this could be a good step.
To keep reading, click here: Why Now More Than Ever You Should Encourage Employees to Get a Flu Shot
Since passage of the Affordable Care Act, flu shots — as well as just about all other preventive care — are fully-covered by American health insurance plans, with zero co-pay. Prior to COVID, my agency had on-the-job health fairs every year, where employees could get not just flu vaccines, but also those for pneumonia, shingles, whooping cough, tetanus, etc.
Can we please get back to HR related topics, the posts and emails seem to be very one sided and political lately. I am honestly sick of it being a constant feed.
Gosh, it’s hard to think of a more relevant HR topic these days than ensuring workplace safety during a Worldwide pandemic, which is a concern for everyone, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.
Except those constantly in a complete panic that they will be fired because their Dr recommends they don’t get the vaccine. By The way – I will mask, work from home and take covid tests daily. I have groceries delivered and stay at home – but if I do not have the vaccine ‘pass’ I am evil.
You’re not evil. If you’re staying at home — assuming you live alone — you may not contract COVID-19.
If you have a medical exemption, you will not be fired.
If you do not, you should be fired.
Ashely, I’d absolutely LOVE to be done with COVID. So please, get everyone vaccinated so it’s not an employment issue anymore.
Do you understand that thousands and thousands and thousands of people have DIED or sustained serious permanent injuries from these injections that aren’t vaccines? WAKE UP!!
Your information is incorrect and exceedingly damaging. Thousands of people have NOT died from the vaccinations. However, more than a million people have died from COVID-19, and people are continuing to die, unnecessarily, because misinformation — some of it deliberate — about the vaccines, has resulted in far too many eligible people remaining unvaccinated. The current group of victims includes younger people, including children under 12, who are not yet eligible for the vaccines.
Vaccinations should not be, except perhaps in a medical setting, any of the employers business, and mandating that employees receive any medical procedure is absolutely out of the question. I am not just speaking of covid, but of all vaccinations available. An employer would tread very carefully before inquiring on other types of vaccinations that employees have received as that medical information is protected. Yet employers seem to think that mandating a vaccine for a virus, that has been around since the 1960’s and never caused any concern before 2020, and has extremely questionable positive results is within their purview. The CDC, a non-government entity with no actual authority, who also owns more than 20 vaccine patents and reaps huge annual profits from those patents has flip-flopped so many times in their recommendations that even my service dog shakes her head when they make another “recommendation.” Employers have way over-stepped their bounds in the demands they are making and it will backfire on them. The pendulum will swing back again and employers and their HR departments will be scrambling to cover their butts for many of the actions they took during this time. In the meantime, I’m with Ashley, this website used to be so helpful to me with HR issues but now it’s nothing more than a one-sided, pro-vaccine website. I guess, for the time being, that I’m going to have to look for a more balanced HR website that is still dealing with legitimate HR issues.
I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but a lot of it is incorrect. For example, COVID-19 has NOT been around since the 1960’s. It’s a novel coronavirus that was first identified in late 2019. Another example: the CDC IS definitely a governmental entity. Medical inquiries are not new to the world of work. I, among millions, had to pass a pre-employment physical and drug test — both of which required completing a questionnaire about health status, prescription medications, etc. — to get hired at my current job and am subject to random drug tests. Many other jobs — airline pilots, long-haul truckers, etc. — have even more stringent requirements. Now, we’re fighting a once-in-a-century pandemic. Employers have a General Duty, under OSHA, to ensure a safe workplace for their employees. There’s no way to do so without utilizing common-sense public health measures to minimize COVID-19 exposure while working.
Thank you, grannybunny, for fighting misinformation with facts. You’re giving good, detailed explanations. My hope is that those with bad info will read these and rethink their stance. Yes, sometimes I live in a world of rainbows and butterflies, thinking that people so ingrained with these conspiracy theories will come around, but I can dream. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to put the darkest days and threats of this virus and mutations in the past.
Thanks for the support. Frankly, a lot of time when we counter misinformation on public forums, it’s not — realistically — in hopes of, somehow, convincing those fomenting the misinformation. Studies show that people — all too frequently — dig in and double down when their beliefs are challenged. However, I do think that countering bad “facts” is important, for the benefit of other readers who may still be amenable to influence.
I really like this post because the flu vaccination has taken a back seat and workplaces need to take a wholistic view on all vaccinations. Thankful you are raising it.