I know one person who walked away from a job months ago because he figured he'd be required to vaccinate, and another who is prepared to walk away if her job requires it.
I don't think this is a decision they made lightly.
It's understandable and acceptable in certain industries. If you are working in a care home full of vulnerable old/sick people and have decided that you will not take the vaccine for your own reasons, you can't really blame your superiors for firing you because there's a lot more at stake/to consider.
I think you can also be glad that someone changed their mind and got vaccinated, however reluctantly, and simultaneously be uncomfortable with that sort of coercion.
Telling someone you'll fire them if they don't get a shot isn't quite holding them down and jabbing them but it's not really a free personal choice either. Many people aren't in a position to just hop down the street into a new job.
Employers (mostly in Blue strongholds) were EXTREMELY EAGER to fire people - even remote employees - who did not want to submit paperwork showing they took the vaccine. If you refused, they marked you 'refusenik' and you were let go anyway.
These people want to not have the vaccine AND to work at home so they don't infect others. You'd have a point if they wanted the right to remain unvaccinated while demanding they be allowed to work in the office. Would you prefer if companies just fired everyone who, for whatever misguided reason, don't want the vaccine?
If I'm forced to work in an office, and some of my colleagues don't want to get vaccinated or tested regularly, I WANT them to get fired. It is a workplace safety issue for everyone forced to work in an enclosed area.
At the end of the day your decision not to vaccinate is potentially putting other workers at risk so that's why its not being tolerated. If you find an employer that is willing to slack off on mandates, they are probably going to be slacking off on a lot of other employee protections that you'd like to have in your favor.
You can quit your job if you want to stay infectious. There's absolutely nothing controversial in requiring vaccinations as a condition for employment.
It’s annoying to say this, but I have my shots so please don’t reply with shrill cries calling me an anti-Vaxxer
I am guessing like many he is angered at having to choose between his job and taking a vaccine he may not want to take. This same employer didn’t likely give a single shit about his safety before.
Logic says just take the shot, but people like to feel like they have some agency in life other than their employer forcing treatment on them so they can continue to be good little drones.
It’s everyone’s business. Vaccinations are to protect a population. Some industries require vaccinations before the employee can work and this isn’t a new behaviour. Not looking after staff and those the staff interact with would seem negligent and a potential liability.
this is why i was, and continue to be, against the various vaccine mandates. My employer said to me "upload your vax card or get an exemption else be fired". It was a bridge too far for me and I submitted for an exemption request on grounds of personal conscious. However, a couple weeks later we get another email that says if your exemption request is denied you are fired. I could have taken a moral stand but i have a wife + 2 kids and a MIL dependent on my income and I decided it wasn't worth it. I ended up canceling my request and uploading my vax card.
In the US the politicians know a law mandating the vaccine is a non-starter. So, instead, they encouraged and supported employers threatening their employees. I guess it's ironic that everyone is quitting everywhere anyway.
My company is on the next stage, which is vaccine threatening. I’ve already been through my first dose and will get a second, but the corporate threat to others is: if you don’t get a vaccine you may not be able to go to client sites and complete your job (i.e you’ll probably be fired.) They haven’t yet made a decision on whether vaccines will be required for the office that they’re making people return to. I endorse vaccination and would recommend it if asked, but it doesn’t sit right with me to force people into making a decision that they’re uncomfortable with. If we don’t get vaccination high enough for herd immunity it would be something that you could start to make a case for, but we have to see how the voluntary participation goes first.
If someone doesn't want to get vaccinated, they're very welcome to go work in a job that doesn't require it; I know people that are happily earning a living while unvaccinated. There is no right to be able to work exactly the job you want on your own terms.
In the healthcare field, getting an annual flu shot is typically mandated as a condition for employment. The principle is the same - risk to others is deemed too high. I bet you’d not enjoy being a patient at a hospital where a bunch of staff are carrying diseases while you’re vulnerable … because, let’s face it, it’s bad for patients and therefore bad for business.
The same principle is now being extended to other companies and sectors now. I personally wouldn’t want to return to office if colleagues were unvaccinated (I also have a newborn at home). Many of my colleagues wouldn’t either. That would be bad for individuals and therefore bad for business.
At least FB and Google have remote employment for the anti-vax crowd.
Agreed. I was forced to get the vax due to my company's business dealings with the federal gov't. One of my developers, meanwhile, refused to get vaccinated, and so far the threat from my employer has just kind of stalled as different state and federal lawsuits have been going through the courts, while he walks on eggshells about his employment status and future career. My team works remote 99% of the time, btw. Engineers rarely deal with the customers either.
Regardless, I think he's been treated poorly by the company as we explicitly denied him the ability to join us at a few on-site meetings and outings. I'm not sure anyone can credibly assert anymore that his un-vaccinated status puts anyone other than himself at increased risk. At this point, it's a form of psychological warfare against him for refusing to conform, and that's WRONG.
I don't know if I would have gotten a vaccination without the threat of termination. I probably would have, but being forced has left me feeling anger towards both my employer and the gov't. And I've been with my employer for 8 years or so - I've enjoyed my time there.
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