A new Vaccine Mandate pulse poll conducted by the New Jersey Business & Industry Association over the weekend shows a combination of acceptance, reluctance and concern among business owners and employees regarding vaccine passports in the workplace.
Of the 300 respondents, 84% said vaccines are not currently mandated for their workforce.
A majority also listed concerns about requiring vaccination proof from customers, including increased confrontations, losing patrons or revenue and litigation.
“In this snapshot of a very dynamic time, we are not surprised to see a mixed bag in terms of hesitancy or preference of mandated vaccines and indoor masking,” said NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka. “What is notable are concerns of the consequences should small businesses be required to enforce vaccines for either their employees or their customers.
“Those apprehensions include what can happen when put into the position of policing a mandate that not everyone is in favor of, again suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach can prove challenging for New Jersey businesses. This is why we have stated that discretion should be left to the business so that they can consider their work environment, their workforce, and the customers and clients they serve.”
Here are the fielded questions and responses to the Vaccine Mandate pulse poll:
As an employer, which best fits your position regarding vaccines for the workforce:
- 46.1%: I don’t believe vaccines should be mandated for the workforce
- 18.5%: I believe vaccines should be mandated for the workforce, but I am concerned about differing opinions from my workforce
- 17.7%: I believe vaccines should be mandated for the workforce, but I’m not concerned about differing opinions from my workforce
- 4.1%: Not sure
- 13.7%: I am not an employer
As an employee, which best fits your position regarding vaccines for the workforce:
- 26.8%: I don’t believe vaccines should be mandated for the workforce
- 22.5%: I believe vaccines should be mandated for the workforce
- 4.3%: Not sure
- 46.4%: I am an employer
What best describes your current position on mandating vaccine passports for indoor customers?
- 24.8%: I believe all customers should show a vaccine passport before entering the premises indoors
- 57.7%: I am not a proponent of mandating vaccine passports for all indoor customers
- 17.5%: Not sure
If vaccine passports are mandated for indoor customers, I have the following concerns on how it will impact my business (Respondents could choose any/all that applied)
- 62.2%: I’m concerned about confrontations when enforcing the mandate
- 58.2%: I’m concerned about losing customers/revenue
- 37.5%: I’m concerned about litigation from my customers
- 17.9%: I have no concerns about mandating passports for customers
- 13.9%: I think customers will be pleased that I am providing a vaccine-only place of business
As an employee or employer, which best describes your current position on mask-wearing indoors at the workplace?:
- 36.1%: I believe we should not be wearing masks at all, no matter if vaccines are mandatory or not
- 32.8%: I believe we should all be wearing masks indoors, no matter if vaccines are mandatory or not
- 24.1%: I believe only people who are not vaccinated should be wearing masks indoors at work
- 6.9%: I believe we should not be wearing masks if vaccines are mandatory at work
As an employee or employer, do you believe providing regular testing results at the workplace is a worthy option to mandating vaccines?:
- 22.7%: Yes
- 56.5%: No
- 20.9%: Not sure
