There are so many unanswered questions surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine.

For the industries battling to open, restaurants, alcohol, and tourism can benefit vastly from the vaccine.

The question on everyone’s lips right now is who gets to be in line for the vaccine first. If you can get it, should you?

Who is in front of the queue?

The obvious candidates for the vaccine are the front-line medical workers. There are differing views on the next layer, including the elderly.

Some countries are even discussing imposing the vaccine for travel. But the biggest question should be if the industries that have been hardest hit should be some of the first. Would it help these industries to get back onto their feet.

Civil Liberty

The next question is, can you force your staff to get the vaccine. Many companies are considering the vaccine to be mandatory for staff to come back to work. With different surveys offering varying results, as many as 67% said they would get the vaccine if available.

Putting civil, religious, and personal beliefs aside, the moral mandate to ensure your staff is safe at work needs to prevail.

The bottom line is that you can restrict staff from entering their workplace if they have not had the Covid-19 vaccine. In South Africa, no work means no pay.

Eventually, this strong-arm tactic would play out on its own.

The main issue is would a vaccine save your business in the short term. Ideally, you need to have this conversation with the business owners in conjunction with the staff. You need to allay any fears and misconceptions surrounding the companies standpoint. It is a controversial discussion. As tensions are already high, it is worth having counseling, medical opinion, and human resources all on hand to answer any questions that may arise.

Suppose your business has face to face interactions with consumers and clients. In that case, you may be seen as irresponsible not taking every precaution for everyone’s safety.

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