Should Employers Incentivize Workers to Get Vaccinated?

To incentivize or not – that is the question of the moment. Some employers in essential businesses have already announced they will pay employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but many others continue to assess their role in encouraging their workers to get immunized. In early results from an ongoing Mercer survey with more than 350 participants to date, about 7% are moving ahead with incentives and about 40% have decided against it – but about half say they have not yet determined what they will do. To help employers think through the pros, cons and legal requirements of vaccine incentives, we turned to two Mercer colleagues – a doctor and a lawyer. Here’s what they said.