Supreme Court Vaccine Mandate Ruling Launches the Next Normal

Preparing for the Next Normal 

As we enter the second year of a pandemic that has claimed more than 5 million lives and affected billions more, the reaction to the new Omicron variant has businesses overwhelmed on how to prioritize the safety and health of their employees.

As employees head back to the workplace, they are likely to encounter a mixed immunity environment. Employees will have different views on vaccinations, distancing practices and adherence to CDC, Federal and/or State guidelines.

Although vaccinations are making our work environment safer, public health and government officials don’t seem to be addressing the reality of risk compensation and its impact on business. Many business leaders have found that government mandates are not right for all employers. They’re also struggling with defining the best approach to protect employee, customer, and partner health.

We Agree There’s a Better Way

The Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its sweeping vaccine-or-test requirements for large private companies. OSHA was not given the power to broadly regulate public health.

At ShareMy.Health, we don’t feel this ruling impacts any organization willing to take health and safety seriously. Thousands of businesses are already making their own decisions on updating and implementing new procedures and protocols. Why? Because business leaders are ultimately responsible for employee well-being. 

Leading organizations, such as 3M, Zurich and Major League Baseball, are staying ahead of government mandates and political dysfunction by implementing new ways to provide a safe work environment for their employees. They are leveraging analytics, telemedicine, remote work and health screenings to balance workplace risk. These companies are already preparing for the next normal.

The Harsh Reality: We’re Not Getting Back to Normal 

Leading experts have stated that we may always be in the middle of a new pandemic phase. Defined by both the ongoing vaccination effort as well as the emergence of new variants of the virus, transmissibility may increase and immunity is not certain. Delta and Omicron have proven this.

Vaccine mandates and not implementing safety and wellness precautions as part of our everyday business has coincided with the rise of variants whose risks surpass those of the original strains. Fortunately, the risk of infection, hospitalization, and death are all much lower for people who are vaccinated, compared to unvaccinated. As a society, we still don’t know what the effect of boosters are, vaccine efficacy, and how the emergence of new oral therapeutics will impact society.

It’s time for businesses and organizations to create the next normal. Health, safety, and wellness are now on the CEO agenda across all industries. Executives are requiring more insight, control and personalization to get employees back to work, improve productivity and business outcomes.

How Are Leading Organizations Moving Forward?

How your business will look and function in this new environment depends on multiple factors.  You won’t be able to control all of those factors, but you can embrace some of them now to accelerate your workforce health and wellness strategy and reduce risk compensation. 

To manage an endemic, organizations need to adopt best practices when it comes to employee health and safety:

1.     Developing protocols to address and mitigate workplace illness. As you address workplace health and safety, include enterprise health screening tools like Immunization and Vaccine Management. Additionally, Testing and Health Surveys provide privacy and help visualize your greatest risks so you may take early action to reduce the spread of illness.    

2.     Executing risk measures and controls based on COVID-19 lessons learned. Build a framework to manage and monitor protocols, as well as operational and legal risks to prioritize your people’s wellness, business continuity, analytics and new strategy. This includes concise communication, setting expectations and policy for visitors, suppliers, vendors and others who come in contact with your workers and facilities.

3.     Monitoring population health status. Know who has immunity, is fully vaccinated, unvaccinated, tested and undeclared. Demonstrate commitment to a safe space for employees by understanding the most vulnerable, safeguarding against uncertainties and people that have low immunity. Use location specific public health information, job role, and specific facility access guidelines to reduce safety measures for immunized employees. This supports compliance with regulations and ultimately reduces risk and cost.

4.     Testing plus vaccination and immunity protocols.  Accurate and reliable testing using a simple “test and report” approach can reduce risk of spreading disease. Communicate what your definition of wellness in the workplace looks like early on to reduce risk, manage potential transmission and outbreaks.

5.     Lead with purpose, optimism and clarity. Execute a thoughtful employee adoption and change management plan. Clearly communicate your purpose and don’t waiver. Make decisions with a “pragmatic” style whenever possible. You won’t make everyone happy, but you won’t regret making decisions that focus on the safety and wellness of your employees, partners, attendees and protecting your brands’ reputation.