Employers CAN Require Employees to Get COVID-19 Vaccine

There's been a lot of vaccine talk this week especially since we found out that Michigan is apparently going to be one of the first states to get it.

I've noticed a lot of people on social media going back and forth on the topic of whether or not an employer can make you get the COVID-19 vaccine. Honestly, I had no idea until I saw an article posted on ABC 12 that talked about this exact topic.

According to ABC 12 who did an interview with labor attorney Dean Yeotis, employers legally can require workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Before you start freaking out, there are some exceptions to the rule.

He said the exception could be someone's religious customs or if they have a disability, such as an autoimmune condition.

Dean Yeotis:

A lot of these situations are going to depend on the specific facts. One of the standards or terminologies they use is the direct threat standard.

So basically, your employer would be allowed under federal law to require an employee to get vaccinated if their failure to get it would be a direct threat to the workplace and other employees. If people are working from home then it wouldn't really be an issue.

It’s still new and we don’t know where all the legal fault is going to lie, but I think it’s reasonable to think that employers shouldn’t have to be overly concerned about being successfully sued.

Regardless of whether or not my employer requires me to get the vaccine, I'm going to get it. I'm over this crap and this is going to be the only way we can get back to life as we once knew it.