According to a new survey by Glassdoor, most employees currently working from home need a COVID-19 vaccine before people return to their offices.
In the 2072 U.S. adult survey conducted last month, 70% of those working from home said they and their colleagues should get a COVID-19 vaccine before going back to work. A significant number of respondents were willing to put their work on it: 23% said they would consider quitting if they had to return to an office before all employees were vaccinated.
The return to offices is becoming increasingly unpopular. Previous research shows that an end to the pandemic is not enough to lure workers back to traditional offices. According to a poll by the Pew Research Center in October, a majority of workers want to continue working even after the outbreak of coronavirus.
Most – but not all – respondents to the Glassdoor survey said they would get the vaccine if it was available, and this varies by age: 66% of 18- to 34-year-olds say they plan to ‘ to get a COVID-19 vaccine while it is available, while 81% of people aged 35 to 44 said the same.
Even if most employees want everyone to be vaccinated at work before going back to work together, this may not be legally possible due to medical and religious exemptions. The federal government does not mandate COVID-19 vaccines, although some state and local laws (and certain employers) may still require them.
There is a strong argument for public health to ensure that your colleagues are vaccinated before entering a shared workspace – at least until we reach herd immunity and the cases are few in the area.
‘If you only vaccinated half the people [at work] and you have half the people who are susceptible to infection, that would be enough to multiply this virus, ‘says Thomas Russo, head of the infectious diseases department at Buffalo University in New York.
Being vaccinated does not necessarily mean that you will not be able to transmit COVID-19 to your non-vaccinated colleagues.
‘Vaccines are protected against serious diseases that lead to hospitalizations and death, but they still have a small but limited chance of developing symptomatic diseases, depending on the vaccine, and probably a greater chance of developing asymptomatic diseases where they do. can transmit. to others as well, ”Russo said. ‘That’s why we need both pieces there. … If we reach the critical numbers, [that] will afford the widespread community protection we all want. ”