Citi’s `No Jab, No Job’ Won’t Wash in Europe

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Vaccines are now the main battleground in ending Covid disruptions and some U.S. companies are taking a hard line. Citigroup Inc., the first big bank to issue a “no jab, no job” edict last October, told holdouts last week they’d have to comply by Friday or they’ll be out by the end of January.

In Europe, that sounds shocking. Citi can’t say the same to staff in London or Dublin. Stricter rules on personal privacy and data protection mean companies have to tread much more carefully there. Employers in many countries can ask employees if they’ve been vaccinated, but staff often can’t be compelled to answer, according to Littler Mendelson, a law firm specializing in labor and employment. 

Unsurprisingly, companies in Europe are wary of creating vaccine policies. In the U.S. only 9%  of businesses of all sizes had no policy for at least encouraging staff to get the jab, a survey by Littler last year found. In Europe, 24% of companies did. 

There are no signs yet that this either increases costs for European companies or that it will help them win a flood of vaccine-hesitant talent — if that’s a thing they’d even want to do. 

But European companies do want to escape the drag of lockdowns, too. They bear sickness costs when workers miss days through being ill or told to isolate. Some have angered staff trying to cut these costs. British grocery chain Wm Morrison Supermarkets faced a backlash over its plans to reduce sick pay when employees who had refused vaccination were forced to isolate – although not if they were ill. 

One complaint was that this could open the door to companies making judgments about other health problems that might result from lifestyle choices or behavior — smokers and drinkers beware.

But there’s a difference with infectious diseases – they endanger others at work in a way that smokers for example don’t when they are forced out doors. All companies must provide a safe workplace for employees and safe premises for customers.  

Covid vaccines are a social issue: I get the shot in part so that you are less likely to be exposed to the virus. I think only governments can take responsibility for making a vaccine mandatory: Austria is doing it, others are discussing it or doing it for public employees or healthcare workers.

But pressure works, too. France boosted vaccine take-up last year by making life more boring for those who won’t get one: It required proof of vaccination or a negative test result to get into bars and restaurants. A lot of vaccine hesitancy turned out not to be very robust. The U.K. brought in rules like these for nightclubs, sports stadiums and other large events last month. 

The indirect approach should work for companies. They have a right to exclude people from their offices, factories, or shops who endanger others. 

If you can perform your role without being on the premises, but your employer still wants you in, that’s a slightly different fight. If you want or need to work in the same space as colleagues, you really shouldn’t do that if you pose a risk to them. It’s a bit like smoking: People are free to make choices that are damaging to their own health, but they have no right to expect others to suffer those choices.

Companies need to make sure they can function and that their staff don’t risk sickness by turning up. That doesn’t have to mean vaccine mandates: A health pass that shows a negative test result, recent vaccination or recent infection is just as good. If people without legitimate exemptions are still determined to refuse a jab they can pay for their own daily tests.

Telling staff they won’t have a job if they don’t get a jab is more responsibility than a company should bear. But telling them they don’t have the right to a job if they won’t help protect co-workers is every company’s duty. 
 

More From This Writer and Others at Bloomberg Opinion:

• Citi Shows Leadership With Vaccine Mandate: Timothy L. O'Brien
• Survival Tips for Hong Kong’s 21-Day Covid Quarantine: Shuli Ren
• To Fight Covid, Get Your Head in the Gutter: Therese Raphael

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Paul J. Davies is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering banking and finance. He previously worked for the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

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