Masks and Vaccines: A Refresher for Small Business Owners

Lindsey KingAugust 03, 2021Uncategorized

August 3, 2021

Am I allowed to have a small temper tantrum? Okay, good. Picture if you will me with my angry face on, stomping up and down while whining, I don’t wanna talk about masks and vaccines any more.

Okay, I feel a little better. Thanks for letting me vent a little. I am sure you are just as tired of hearing about all of this as I am, but the fact is both subjects are back in the spotlight with local hospital systems requiring vaccines for their employees as well as the recent CDC masking guidance.

And both subjects affect small business owners, so much as we want to not think about it, we do need to consider what is best for our businesses.

First, can you require your employees to get the vaccine? The short answer is yes. But before making that decision, I suggest you look back at my post discussing things to consider before making it mandatory. If you are thinking about ways to encourage your employees to get vaccinated without actually mandating it, here are some ideas.

Want to ask your employees or customers about their vaccine status? You can, but, before you do, you should be aware of what you can do with that information as well as what you can and cannot ask.

Finally, masks. The CDC is once again recommending that they be worn, even by vaccinated individuals, in “areas of substantial or high transmission.” That isn’t us here in southeastern Wisconsin, yet anyway, but that doesn’t mean you cannot require your employees and customers to wear masks. I wrote about things you should consider when lifting mask requirements in your business a while back, but the considerations remain relevant if you are thinking about putting requirements back in place.

On that subject, I am closely watching for new developments and recommendations. If anything changes, I will let you know right away on Facebook and Instagram so be sure to like my page or follow me. As always, if you have any questions or need guidance, I am here to help!

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