It Begins: CEO Demands His Employees Be Vaccinated, Wants Others To Do Same

This has been discussed on and off over the past year, but, few have really required the jab as a condition of employment. Some people have religious reasons for not getting it, some won’t get it because it was speardheaded by Trump, some because China Joe is pushing it, and some, both Dems and Republicans, won’t get it because they don’t trust something developed so quick. But, They Must Comply

CEO: Why I’m requiring that my employees and customers be vaccinated against COVID-19

As the COVID-19 vaccines roll out quickly across the country, businesses like mine are wrestling with the question of how to handle employees returning to the office. In making these decisions, we must keep in mind that we have responsibilities to ensure our businesses succeed – and to society at large. Our choices will have a tremendous impact on how the nation’s next stage shapes up.

The overwhelming majority of U.S. businesses, like mine, have fewer than 500 workers, providing nearly half of overall employment. Over the past year, many have had to shut down altogether. A recent report from the Federal Reserve estimates that the number of “excess exits” – closures likely due to the pandemic – might have stayed below 200,000, which is lower than some economists feared. That’s due in part to various ways small businesses found to keep going with employees working from home. Still, it’s a devastating number. It’s crucial to get more businesses up and running again.

My business has been doing fine. We went back to the regular schedule the Friday before Memorial Day. And have only had a small number of people get COVID. Maybe 10 out of about 100. All of them returned to work fine. We did the masking thing, cleaned the doors and work stations, and practiced social distancing. We probably have around 60% in the sales area vaccinated. Why can’t other businesses do this?

That’s why to me, this is a no brainer. At Velo3D, where we provide advanced metal 3D printing technology to some of the most visionary companies in the world, I’m requiring all of my roughly 120 employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine unless a medical professional provides them with a written medical excuse.

Working from home is not an excuse. We have a rule that managers should be able to call in any employee to a meeting on site when necessary. So all employees must be vaccinated. For those who are having the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, by June 1 they must have their second shot.

The same goes for other people who wish to visit our facilities – contractors, investors and customers from businesses we serve. We’re using the honor system at this point, having people declare that they were vaccinated and when. No documentation is needed. We’re trusting people to do the right thing.

Is documentation required for employees? Will they have to show their papers? You can bet the same types of people like Benny Buller, CEO of Velo3D, were 100% against the Arizona illegal immigration law, and against requiring illegals to show their papers at all times.

These days, there’s a lot of pressure on businesses to talk about every social issue. As an executive, I recognize the challenges with this, since there are endless injustices we could talk about.

But actions speak louder. Here’s a case in which we can demonstrate with absolute clarity that we stand for doing the right thing whether it’s popular or not. This is also why we should not stop at only encouraging employees to get vaccinated. We should demand it.

Or, you can mind your own f’ing business, and stop telling others what to do.

In other COVID news, a restaurant is “receiving backlash” for demanding that patrons show their COVID vaccine cards or wear a mask

(WRAL) Last week, after Gov. Roy Cooper lifted the mask mandate but recommended that those who aren’t fully vaccinated still wear a mask, Hisine McNeill, owner of Alpha Dawgs restaurant in southeast Raleigh, reached out to the state to see how business owners would be able to tell if someone has been vaccinated. (snip)

“If you’re claiming that you’re fully vaccinated, show some type of proof,” McNeill said. “If not, I cannot afford to take somebody’s word. If you don’t want to show it, simply wear your mask. Take it off when you get to your table to eat, and if you don’t want do either one, then I have to do what’s best for my company.”

After McNeill shared his decision on Facebook, The Raleigh Republican Club shared his post telling people to “eat somewhere else.” That’s when the nasty emails and calls began.

“People (were) trolling my business page leaving fake/false reviews, making claims I’m a Nazi and stuff like that,” McNeill said.

On one hand, like the aforementioned company, McNeill has the right to do this with his business. Don’t be surprised when it hurts business. On the second hand, the Republican Club should really just have stayed out of it. There’s no reason to get involved. There’s no reason to leave fake reviews and such. Just take your business elsewhere. I can tell you, if I go somewhere and they require a mask, fine, it won’t kill me for 15-20 minutes. I’ll be fine. They want proof of vaccination? Nope. Bye. I could. Have the photos on my phone. I won’t.

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18 Responses to “It Begins: CEO Demands His Employees Be Vaccinated, Wants Others To Do Same”

  1. Hairy says:

    Nazi behavior?
    I can remember in the mid 80s when the rightwing was serious considering forcing all HIV positive to be confined until they die
    It was the left that opposed that

    • MSG Grumpy says:

      NOPE, I going to call BULLSHIT on this one.
      I was there for all of the 80s,
      I was very politically active throughout the 80’s
      NO ONE (except some conspiracy nut named “hairy”) ever said anything even close to this.
      So “Hairy”, now is the time to cite actual news articles or published commentaries from anyone except some conspiracy nut named “hairy” to back up your silly bias…
      We all await your mountains of evidence…

    • david7134 says:

      John,
      You were stoned during the 80s. No, the right did not desire to confine AIDS patients. The news investigated various treatment regimes and noted that Castro had the best results at the time with confinement, improved diet, massive vitamins. This stopped the progression of the disease in the community. It is a method used to combat syphilis in the US.

      Now, we did note that to stopped progression to one human from another, that various high risk groups should practice smart sex, but that was opposed.

      Now, you can not even test a suspected AIDS patient for the disease, even if you get a needle stick. You can test for anything else, but not AIDS. That would seem reasonable to a dumb ass like you. Oh, we do get around it by doing a T count.

      • Elwood P. Dowd says:

        In 1992, former Gov Mike Huckabee wrote, “If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague.”

        Huckabee was and is a mainstream conservative Republican. He has since denied he wrote it, then admitted to it and now says he would phrase it better. People were afraid that the virus was transmitted through casual contact and even insect bites. We now no better.

        Anti-retroviral drug therapy turned AIDS into a chronic disease requiring life-long medication.

        But what about a deadly virus (like AIDS), where for decades a person is contagious without knowing they’re infected, and there is no effective therapy? What’s a society to do? The next pandemic could be such a virus. What if an Ebola variant was as easily spread as Covid-19 or influenza?

        • drowningpuppies says:

          More alarmist nonsense from Rimjob, dipshit that he is.

          And he IS losing the narrative.

          #TheScienceIsSettled
          Bwaha! Lolgf https://www.thepiratescove.us/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_cool.gif

        • david7134 says:

          Jeff,
          You had several paragraphs of comments and did not say anything. For a pharmacist, you really don’t know medicine.

    • Dana says:

      In the meantime, the Pyrite State dropped its criminal statute requiring people to inform their sexual partners if they are HIV positive.

      Nothing like getting a free pass to infect someone with a disease which is always fatal unless treated with a hugely expensive, life-long medication regime, so that you can have your fifteen-minute hookup in the restroom of a bar.

      • Elwood P. Dowd says:

        It reduces knowingly transmitting to another person from a felony to a misdemeanor. Anyway, no one really dies of AIDS do they? It’s always a co-morbidity such as cancer or pneumonia or cachexia.

        Nothing like getting a free pass to infect someone with a disease that can be fatal with a hugely expensive, ICU stay to save the victim’s life, and often with long-term sequelae, just so that you can virtue signal to all in the bar that you won’t be bullied!

        Some 15,000 Americans died of AIDS last year, over 550,000 Americans died of Covid-19.

        • Dana says:

          The always surprising Mr Dowd wrote:

          It reduces knowingly transmitting to another person from a felony to a misdemeanor. Anyway, no one really dies of AIDS do they? It’s always a co-morbidity such as cancer or pneumonia or cachexia.

          OK, you can’t really be this stupid. HIV is a lifetime infection, and only a lifelong, expensive treatment keeps HIV from turning into full blown AIDS.

          COVID-19? The vast majority who contract it survive it, most without hospitalization, and then they are over it.

  2. Hairy says:

    Teach many companies are reluctant to hire people who smoke even off job
    That could require higher future health care costs
    As a business owner or manager shouldn’t potential health issues be something that is involved in vetting workers?
    As far as Alpha losing business I would think it might improve

    • david7134 says:

      And what proof do you have of your claim? I do know that some companies entertaining not hiring smokers due to the excessive breaks, but have not seen a concern for health. If they desired to restrict based on future health they would exclude fat people. They have a disproportionate amount of health issues. But that would exclude most of the US.

  3. Dana says:

    As we went grocery shopping yesterday, we chose the Meijer’s store rather than Kroger. Meijer’s had a sign on the door stating that “fully vaccinated” customers did not have to wear a mask, but there was no one inside the store asking any questions or asking for our health cards.

    Kroger, on the other hand, had said that it would keep requiring customers to mask up. I will not spend another penny at Kroger until they drop that policy.

    • david7134 says:

      I don’t think these folks have very good lawyers. As the CDC says you don’t need a mask, the store has a degree of legal protection. But if you strike out on your on, then you are looking at exposure, even being over cautious.

  4. KellyM says:

    This is an interesting position for the company to take, considering that Federal law prohibits employers and others from requiring the vaccine as it is currently being distributed under an EUA (Emergency Use Authorization).

    OSHA recently did an about face and rescinded their recommendation that corporations compel their employees, stating, “…if a vaccine is required, then any adverse reaction is considered work-place related and therefore must be recorded.” Say hello to lots of workers’ comp claims.

  5. ruralcounsel says:

    It takes some real stupidity to insist your employees take an experimental vaccine in order to keep their jobs. If not illegal (today), it is certainly unethical. It may be a different story if any of these vaccines ever come off of EUA status, but for now … that would be playing with legal liability dynamite.

    The vaccine makers may have been given a liability shield, but it doesn’t go any further than that.

    In 10 years, we’ll be seeing those tv ads looking for class action plaintiffs. “Were you injured by the experimental vaccines but forced to get it in order to keep your job? You may have a claim….”

    Worse, as KellyM notes above, how many deaths from the vaccine will be workers comp claims? That is going to get very expensive very quickly. I’ve seen some figures that says the overall fatality rate from COVID (among total population) is lower than the fatality rate from getting the vaccine (among those getting the vaccine).

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