Private Employers are Still Playing It By Ear

Still confused about COVID19 Mandatory Vaccination Rules?

Well, according to several sources including the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the law firm Fisher Phillips, private employers may be seeing a light at the end of the COVID19 mandated vaccination tunnel, now that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released their Mandate-or-Test Emergency Rule to the White House for Final Review.

Although, it generally takes months from the time the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs receives a draft rule from a federal agency to release it to the public, this particular Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is expected to move through very quickly.

So, how much time does that leave us while we wait for the ETS to get published in the Federal Register and become an official law?

It depends on whether you are working in a Federal OSHA state or State OSHA Plan state. Really confused now? Yeah, me too.

To clear this up, the Fisher Phillips article, Mandate-or-Test Emergency Rule to the White House for Final Review did an excellent job explaining the differences and how it could affect your timeline for implementation. (Special thanks to them!)

Looking ahead as we get ready to release our COVID 19 Return to Work Toolkit, we’ll be keeping a close eye on what’s changing to help you hit the ground running.

So, while we wait for the final word from OSHA, let’s all keep in mind that while there’s a lot of work to get done, it will be worth it in the long run.

In the words of Michael Korda, “In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.”

COMING SOON!

The COVID19 Return to Work Toolkit will contain customizable policies, letters, memos, and forms designed to help you navigate the COVID19 compliance rules. Here’s just a partial list of what you can expect:

  • Customizable Memo to Inform All Employees of Your Company’s Vaccination Mandate and Timeline for Compliance.

  • Sample Mandatory Vaccine Policy with Opt-Out Testing Option.

  • Sample Mandatory Vaccine Policy without an Opt-Out Testing Option.

  • Sample Optional Vaccination Policy.

  • Religious Belief - Request for Covid19 Vaccination Accommodation form

  • Reference Guide to Respond to a Religious Belief Requisition for Accommodation

  • Medical Condition - Request for Covid19 Vaccination Accommodation form

  • Step by Step Procedures Guide of the ADA’s Interactive Conversation Process

  • Customizable Accommodation Denial letter.

  • Appropriate responses to requests for accommodations that don’t run afoul of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s discrimination rules and the ADA’s process requirements.

  • COVID19 Reference Manuals issued by the Dept. of Labor and the EEOC designed to provide employers with answers to questions about employer’s rights.

  • Successful Onboarding and Re-Onboarding suggestions and guidance.

  • Talk points your managers can use as they interact with potentially reluctant employees.

And a whole lot more….


HR Alerts, Human ResourcesCarol WestberryCOVID 19, Vaccinations