As of December 27, 2021, New York City will require all private-sector employers to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their workers. These steps were taken to help prevent a spike in cases of COVID-19 over the holidays, as well as to reduce the common spread of such viruses in the colder months.
This comes after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined to block New York City’s vaccination directive against COVID-19 for all city Department of Education employees back in October 2021. Here we explain what the mandatory COVID-19 requirements mean for you as a NYC employer.
First, it is important to realize the order which refers to “covered entities” affects all private employers. It defines covered entities as:
While the definition is broad, keep in mind it also includes:
Therefore there really is no way around the requirements.
Two more important definitions related to the order include:
In other words, anyone working whether they are paid or unpaid, and any site where the worker interacts with others.
Anyone who works from home and/or who does not interact with people outside their household is excluded. It also does not apply to the following:
You can refer to Guidance Documents updated on December 15, 2021, to get a better understanding of the exclusions.
When it comes to unionized workplaces, as an employer you do not have latitude in following the mandate unless you are handling individual requests for workers seeking reasonable accommodations. This means employers don’t have flexibility or the option to use their discretion in implementing the mandate.
If you are seeking latitude, you face a bargaining process for existing terms and conditions of employment based on the most recent guidelines the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board produced. However, you also face obligations to bargain when requests for accommodations are made or when the status of those who apply for accommodations but did not receive them are involved.
All employers have until December 27th to ensure workers either:
You must implement the requirement for all workers, interns, volunteers, temporary workers, and contracted/freelance workers entering your workplace. As well, the new mandate does not allow you to offer a test option instead of being vaccinated. If you have unvaccinated workers or volunteers without accommodations, they must be excluded from working at any of your sites as of December 27, 2021.
All employees, contract/freelance workers, interns, and volunteers must provide proof of vaccine by showing one of the following:
One of the above must indicate each worker is either fully vaccinated or that they have a second dose booked within 45 days of their first dose.
As an employer you must retain records showing compliance including the proof of vaccination provided by each employee, contract/freelance worker, intern, or volunteer in the following manner:
Each record must include the worker’s name, vaccination status (i.e. fully or first dose), or proof of the appointment for second doses within 45 days after the first dose. For those with a reasonable accommodation, documentation must be kept proving either religious or medical reasons for their accommodation. You also have to continue to review proof of vaccination each day any person enters the workplace.
If you already reviewed and logged employees’ proof of vaccination you won’t have to do so again. However, you will need to collect proof of vaccination from each new hire. You also don’t have to check proof of vaccination of individual contractors who have third-party employers, as it will be up to their direct employer to do so. You should ask the contractors’ employers for confirmation of proof of vaccination, however.
With the new mandate, you should consider the convenience and security of implementing an HR management system and employee database to help manage records.