After the White House’s announcement of an impending vaccine mandate, HR leaders share how to navigate these unprecedented times to keep the workplace safe and retain key talent. HR executives discuss the ramifications of requiring vaccinations or weekly testing for employers with 100 or more employees.
Many employers continue to keep the health and safety of their staff as their top priority with this roll out. Leslie Tarnacki, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at WorkForce Software, spoke to HRO Today about the global software company’s approach.
“We’ve been fully transparent about the company’s intent to comply with the Administration’s vaccine mandate because it has a big impact on the workplace,” Tarnacki says. “We’ve made it clear that our first concern is the health and safety of our employees, as it’s been since the very beginning of the pandemic.”
With the success of hybrid working arrangements during the pandemic, Tarnacki says the company is also offering the option of ongoing virtual work to support employee preferences.
“Based on recent surveys we’ve conducted, employees have been given several opportunities to communicate their vaccination status, concerns, and plans for vaccination and returning to the office, so there is a full understanding of how things will work for business and how we’ll be able to continue to execute well and grow in the coming months,” Tarnacki explains.
It’s a complicated issue. Human resource leaders must balance the need to keep their overall workforces safe while trying to retain valuable talent in a competitive market.
Tarnacki says, “Vaccination requirements have become a somewhat polarizing issue, so we’re doing all we can to communicate and promote transparency around the topic.”