It is not just private companies that have the lawful right to mandate vaccines. Government agencies do as well and there is plenty of historical precedent for this. The U.S. has a substantial history of mandating vaccines at the federal or state level in order to attend school or enlist in the armed forces, be it for smallpox, polio, or measles-mumps-rubella. This is easy to forget in our current hyperpolarized political climate in which the COVID-19 pandemic and the evidence-based measures to protect against it (masks, vaccines, and social distancing) have been uniquely politicized.

Exploring ways to gently remind healthcare employees of how normal vaccine mandates actually are through both formal and informal workplace communications can play one part in lowering resistance and increasing compliance.


The need for positive communication
Against this historical and legal backdrop, it’s only in recent times that mandatory vaccinations have been de-normalized and politicized. Admittedly, in such a milieu, legal authority, historical precedent, and compelling medical and ethical arguments for mandatory vaccinations may not be enough to sway hesitant or resistant employees. At the same time, as already stated, keeping vaccinations optional for healthcare employees is no longer acceptable from any reasonable perspective. The challenge for healthcare leaders will therefore be to communicate in a sensitive and empathetic way so as to maximize the chances of compliance, which was essentially the same challenge they faced when members of the public had concerns about the safety of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

When employees express lingering hesitations, or react in anger over vaccine mandates, healthcare administrators and leaders should try their utmost to make these employees feel heard. While the temptation to take a more hardline approach is understandable, especially at this stage, it’s possible that these employees are already getting shamed on social media or by people they know, so they would likely not react well to more of the same. And contrary to viewpoints that turn this issue into an either-or situation, a soft and diplomatic communicative approach can be absolutely complementary to taking a firm stance on the mandate itself. For example, many of the current mandates require weekly COVID-19 testing for employees who choose to remain unvaccinated. Positive messaging that focuses on how convenient it would be to not have to get tested every week may work better than emphasizing the inconvenience of the testing and making it seem like a punishment. It’s a subtle difference that can make a big difference.

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