Vaccine mandates work, but rollout will be a bumpy road for employers: Opinion

Mandates are essential to creating safe workplaces.

As President Joe Biden's "summer of freedom" transformed into a summer of record-high pediatric hospitalizations and an alarming surge of a new, highly contagious COVID-19 variant, public health experts increasingly agree that mandating vaccines may be the fastest way to return to normal.

Despite much handwringing, data shows that vaccine mandates are not only effective, but also popular among employees and employers. That said, companies are awaiting the details of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules and further guidance on boosters. It is clear that employers are facing a bumpy road in the near term.

Despite the FDA granting full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, the number of new people receiving their first dose now hangs at an average of 342,000 people per day. To help spur vaccination rates and the economy, Biden tapped into a key delivery channel: the workplace.

Estimated to impact around 100 million American workers, the plan requires vaccinations for all federal workers and contractors and requires all employers with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccinations or have employees face weekly testing. Employers are waiting to hear the details from the Department of Labor and OSHA, which is drafting an emergency temporary standard to carry out the mandate.