The Observer features Fudia Smartt on unvaccinated employees
UK companies large and small are debating the vaccine question, and whether to differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated members of their workforce.
Although it stops short of mandatory vaccination, several large companies including Ikea, Next and Ocado have changed their sick leave policies to treat vaccinated and unvaccinated employees differently.
Our employment partner Fudia Smartt discussed the topic with The Observer. Commenting on the potential of introducing new sick pay policies to exert pressure on unvaccinated staff to get the jab, Fudia said:
“Lots of businesses will be weighing up the pros and cons of this. They’ll be looking at the financial implications, their health and safety obligations to their staff and customers. They will be weighing that up against a theoretical risk of, say, 5% [of staff] bringing claims. They may decide the risk is worth it.”
