With Vaccine Mandate Looming, Business Owners Face Wary Workers

Small-business owners are confronting challenges preparing for the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate, with some saying efforts to comply are exacerbating hiring problems and stoking tensions with and among workers. Under new federal rules, employers with 100 or more workers must ensure employees get fully vaccinated or else test negative for Covid-19 at least weekly and wear a mask at work. A federal appeals court temporarily blocked implementation of the rules in response to legal challenges, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration agreed not to begin enforcement pending a court decision. Many business owners are nonetheless preparing for the mandate, slated to take full effect Jan. 4. Pete Yohe, president of Bloomsburg, Pa., manufacturer Dyco Inc., said he applauds the spirit of the new rules because they encourage vaccinations. “But I hate the 100-plus mandate, which forces some of our employees to quit and go to smaller companies,” he said.