Dive Brief:
- After refusing to get flu shots related to their work, three office workers for a social service agency Friday were suspended without pay for a week, according to a report at NJ.com.
- Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey instituted the penalities to the trio for refusing to comply with their company's new flu-prevention policy that requires employees either receive a flu shot or or wear a surgical mask in the workplace.
- The employer manages two nursing homes, an adoption agency and an array of other services throughout New Jersey. It created the policy to lower the risk of infecting clients, some of whom are under stress or have compromised immune systems.
Dive Insight:
Colleen Frankenfield, Lutheran Social Ministries' president, told NJ.com earlier this week that about half of those in the office frequently visit the agency's nursing homes and other facilities, raising the possibility of cross-contamination.
According to the article, this latest case is part of an overall trend whereby employees face termination for refusing to get flu shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many other health agencies, including New Jersey's Department of Health, recommend flu shots for all employees in healthcare workplaces, noting high compliance among workers has been proven to reduce hospitalizations and prevent deaths. However, a 2013 CDC report has spread doubt that flu shots protect patients.
Not surprisingly, the increased flu shot and vaccination mandates, which date back to 2010, have spawned some litigation. For healthcare employers, mandating flu shots has limited legal repercussions mainly because most workers are "at will" employees. But it probably isn't going to win any hearts and minds among the affected workers.
