Covid-19: Significant number of businesses plan to mandate vaccinations, survey shows

Friday, 15 October 2021

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A survey of 115 New Zealand chief executives of large to medium organisations has revealed that close to half are planning to mandate vaccinations for either all their workers, or those at risk.

The survey also revealed that many more would mandate vaccination if there was clearer direction and support from government.

Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum executive director Francois Barton said many more business leaders said they were interested in mandating the vaccine for their staff, but wanted Government to show more support for their position before they did it.

The Otiria Rugby Club in Moerewa, which has been turned into a vaccination centre.

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Executive director of the Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum Francois Burton says Government needs to act to protect workplaces from the virus.

“If they had that backing and guidance from Government more companies that want to do this would, and this sentiment was clearly in behind the survey,” Barton said.

“There is a solid desire from business leaders to take a risk-based duty of care, particularly as Covid-19 continues to spread around the country.

PwC will require full vaccination for all staff, contractors and visitors.

“However, there is a real lack of clarity from Government to support businesses to make these decisions.

“The Government was quick on restrict freedom of movement and freedom of association, and they could go further on this compulsory vaccination and now is the time.”

Barton was a regulator for the Department of Labour for 10 years before becoming involved with the forum.

He said the virus was deadly and highly contagious, and would get into a workplace if entrance was allowed for non-vaccinated people.

“Air New Zealand, Simpson Grierson, Russell McVeagh and more are stepping up to keep their workers safe. Aucklanders are doing the hard work for all of us and businesses are showing leadership by backing it with mandatory vaccination policies.”

Around a third of chief executives surveyed said they were planning to restrict access to non-vaccinated contractors and 27 per cent planned to restrict access to non-vaccinated visitors.

Both PwC and Russell McVeagh have said this week that they would require vaccination for staff, contractors and visitors at their sites.

Employment lawyer Susan Hornsby-Geluk said, to implement a mandate, employers would need to conduct a health and safety assessment to determine whether roles put employees at risk of contracting Covid-19, or whether employees had engagement with vulnerable community members.

The line had not yet been tested on what constituted reasonable health and safety grounds, Hornsby-Geluk said.

While some had questioned whether mandatory vaccination would be a breach of the Bill of Rights Act or civil liberties, there was a “growing recognition” that vaccination was a fundamental and necessary part of an effective public safety response, Hornsby-Geluk said.