The Vaccine Mandate Kicks In at 100 Employees. What If You’re at 98?
The New York Times
For small businesses hovering just under the federal vaccination guidelines, navigating this period is tricky.
Christie Thompson’s company, which sells and services semitrailers, is looking to fill a handful of open positions. But the challenge isn’t just finding qualified workers. Currently, 98 people work at the company. Adding two more employees would mean crossing the 100-person threshold that the Biden administration set as its standard for compliance with a new rule requiring large companies to mandate coronavirus vaccines.
“As the person who’d be in charge of making all this work, it’d be a nightmare,” said Ms. Thompson, who runs human resources for Apex/Rentco Trailer Sales & Service, based in Jeffersonville, Ind. She estimates that three-quarters of the employees are unvaccinated.
Ms. Thompson would feel safer knowing her staff was vaccinated, though she said she empathized with those who are hesitant and had to surmount her own fears to get the shot. “I wish everyone would just go out and get the vaccine and be done with it,” she added. At the moment, it’s a wish and not a rule at her workplace.
