Google and Facebook to mandate Covid vaccine

Many employers have shared their requirements regards the Covid vaccine now that employees are able to return to the workplace.

Some have asked staff to continue working from home if they choose not to have the vaccine, while others have introduced a ‘no jab, no job’ policy.

However, Google and Facebook have now shared that they will require all staff returning to US offices to be vaccinated.

According to NBC News, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, said in a memo: “Anyone coming to work on our campuses will need to be vaccinated. We’re rolling this policy out in the US in the coming weeks and will expand to other regions in the coming months.”

Pichai also shared that the business is extending its work from home policy for all of its employees globally until 18 October.

Facebook also made a similar announcement this week, as Lori Goler, vice president (VP) of people at the firm, said: “As our offices reopen, we will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of our US campuses to be vaccinated.

“How we implement this policy will depend on local conditions and regulations. We will have a process for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons and will be evaluating our approach in other regions as the situation evolves. We continue to work with experts to ensure our return to office plans prioritise everyone’s health and safety.”

Difficulty with mandatory vaccines

While these policies have been rolled out in the US, the businesses could extend these rules to their UK offices, as Google’s Pichai noted that the firm “will expand to other regions” in the future.

These decisions could hold harsh lessons for HR and reward professionals to consider. Danielle Parsons, an employment Partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell, echoed this as she told Reward Strategy “there are a number of potential problems with these types of approaches”.

She stated: “There’s currently no legal basis the UK government can rely on to force people to be vaccinated – it’s purely voluntary and down to each individual to make their own choice on this.

“Instead, many employers are putting in place ‘no jab, no job’ policies or, in sectors where people can work from home, only allowing those who have been fully vaccinated into work.”

Potential problems

Parsons explained that the problems employers may face include allegations of discrimination, as well as claims of constructive unfair dismissal as employees with as least two years’ service could resign and claim.

She added that health and safety may also be a cause for concern. “Employers may also find it difficult to justify a mandatory vaccination requirement on health and safety grounds, because although vaccination reduces the chance of the vaccinated individual contracting Covid-19, the extent to which vaccination reduces transmission is still under review, and we don’t yet know how long the protection offered by vaccination will last,” she said.

In addition, Parsons added that the UK government has stated that the vaccination isn’t a substitute for workplace Covid-secure measures, meaning employers must still comply with this.