Large employers fear vaccine mandates will chase away workers. But 'real world data tells a different story.'

As COVID-19 vaccine mandates roll out across federal agencies and among many private businesses, companies that fall under the Biden administration's vaccine-or-test requirement are worried about employees quitting, a new poll has found.

President Biden directed the Labor Department to develop a rule that companies with 100+ employees must require proof of vaccination or weekly negative test results. It hasn't taken effect yet, but many of those employers told the Society for Human Resource Management they're worried it will lead to lots of resignations, reports The Hill.

"Nearly 9 in 10 large employers believe some of their workers will quit their jobs over the Biden administration's coronavirus vaccine-or-test mandate," writes The Hill. Some are worried about general workplace disruption, while others are concerned about the cost of acquiring rapid COVID-19 tests. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they could not afford to pay for weekly testing.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Fears that employees will quit en masse or move to smaller companies not affected by the rule are understandable, but other data doesn't point to the worries being warranted. As The Hill writes, "real world data tells a different story," pointing to United Airlines announcing layoffs of 230 employees who didn't comply with vaccine requirements — 0.3 percent of its workforce. Similarly, 58 percent of those surveyed in a September Morning Consult poll supported the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for large companies.

The Society for Human Resource Management surveyed 1,289 of its members online between Sept. 27-30. Read more at The Hill.