If Your Boss Requires the COVID Shot, Will You Quit?

An overwhelming majority of New Jersey employers currently have no COVID-19 vaccination requirement for their workforce.

But as concerns surrounding the Delta variant rise, and vaccination mandates continue to be announced on the state level, and Pfizer receives FDA approval for its vaccine beyond emergency authorization, a poll from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association shows there are plenty of employers contemplating the idea of requiring vaccination among workers.

"However, many are concerned about the consequences of that," said NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka. "They're concerned about employees who may disagree and therefore not get vaccinated. And then they either have to terminate them or they quit."

And in the middle of an "unprecedented hiring crisis," she added, losing employees isn't ideal.

Most of the employers surveyed said they do not believe that vaccines should be mandated for their workforce. A smaller percentage said they'd be in favor of a mandate, and that they either are or are not concerned about differing opinions from their workers.

"Employees are really just stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one," Siekerka said.

More than half of the 300 respondents said they are not a proponent of mandating proof of vaccination among indoor customers. There were mixed results related to wearing masks indoors.