Q: I own a small business that employs about 10 people. Before COVID, one of our employees was known to be an anti-vaxxer and as someone who was generally suspicious of the ‘medical industrial complex’. Although quirky, that was no biggie. We could easily avoid the topic, and it simply was not an issue. Enter the COVID Pandemic. Not only is the topic of health at the center of our lives, but the employee has become a crusader determined to warn anyone who will listen (co-workers or clients) that the vaccine is worse than the virus. Any tips on handling it?
A: This question is very delicate. A few years ago, anti-vaxxers were seen as a “quirky” minority on the fringe. But thanks to social media, their movement has grown immensely. And COVID has helped to grow it even more. This has become a large enough problem that it’s now a threat to public health, because a certain percentage of the populations needs to be vaccinated so we acquire herd immunity. And if too many people get on the anti-vax train it endangers us all.
So how should an employer respond?
I would avoid getting into the validity of their beliefs. It will not be constructive for you to try to re-educate the employee, or to correct whatever disinformation they have consumed. It’s unlikely to work and more likely to create bad feelings. This employee is clearly convinced of the righteousness of their beliefs and probably thinks it’s their duty to warn others. Anti-vaxxer’s are true believers, some of their children have died of previously eradicated preventable diseases. If they are willing to risk their own children’s life, there is little you -the employer- can say to change their mind.
However, you -the employer- can change their behavior at work.
You can ask the employee to stop. Say for example, “Your beliefs are your own, but I’m going to have to ask you not to talk about this subject with co-workers or clients or at anytime during the course of your workday.”
Don’t get pulled into a debate about what is and isn’t true. Keep your focus on the behavior only. If the employee says something about their first amendment right, kindly explain that no such right exists in the workplace. Or refer them to my previous columns on the topic. Hope this advice helps.
©Copyright Eva Del Rio. Send questions to eva@evadelrio.com
