Polish entrepreneurs are anxiously observing the situation related to the development of the COVID epidemic, but they do not believe that forced vaccinations and employee testing are the solutions, according to a survey conducted among members of the Polish Economic Society (PTG).
69% of owners and managers of companies affiliated with PTG were against the introduction of regulations under which the employer will be able to require the employee to share sensitive data on vaccinations. This solution is supported by 26 percent of those surveyed, while 5 percent have no opinion.
There is more support for the proposal that an employer could require an employee to take a diagnostic test. Such a solution is supported by 32 percent of those surveyed, while still nearly two-thirds, 63 percent to be exact, are against it.
“The survey confirms the findings from the interviews with entrepreneurs. They point out that postulates of introducing vaccine coercion, threatening unpaid vacations, or introducing other forms of restrictions arouse anxiety among workers, says Franciszek Podlacha, PTG’s Chief Operating Officer.
“What employees want during this difficult time is, above all, stability in the workplace (…) It is the duty of every supervisor to take care of the health of their employees, but coercion is not the best solution to achieve this. It is also the employer’s responsibility to provide safe working conditions for its employees. However, each employer should be able to determine these rules on a case-by-case basis in a manner appropriate to the specifics of the workplace,” he added.
Introducing isolation of the vaccinated from the unvaccinated is a concept that a year ago had high hopes of reducing virus transmission and ending the pandemic.
“We can now see that the issue of disease progression is much more complex, and the statistics do not support the theories behind this solution. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of our members are skeptical about giving employers broad access to sensitive employee data. We are aware that the results of our internal survey are in opposition to the position recently adopted by the Social Dialogue Council. Perhaps this is due to the fact that PTG brings together many family businesses where the owner is directly in charge of the team and knows the business best. The case is different in large corporations, where the number of people and the company structure are so large that they require systemic solutions. As you can see, the subject is difficult and requires individual solutions, and above all, knowledge of the specifics of a particular company, which is best known to its owners. The matter undoubtedly requires further discussion and data-driven conversations. It is also important to remember that our society is already divided enough, so it is important to deepen this division,” Podlacha adds.