Vaccine passports now being considered for the workplace

Companies that enforce proof of vaccination for workers could face slew of lawsuits, say legal experts

VACCINE passports in the workplace are being considered by nearly a third of big businesses, according to industry surveys.

More than 30 per cent of big British companies have signalled that staff may be asked for proof of vaccination before they can physically return to work.

It comes after the Government appeared to suggest that the NHS app should be used by businesses to ensure office workers had received both jabs.

In a survey of 1,000 firms conducted by the British Chambers of Commerce, 31 per cent of firms with more than 50 employees suggested they might introduce so-called vaccine passports.

Nine per cent said they required staff to provide proof of vaccination, and 8 per cent said they were “likely” to introduce it in the future. Others said they were gathering more information before making a final decision.

A separate poll of 1,000 business leaders conducted by Owl Labs, a video conferencing company, found that 23 per cent of firms were planning to introduce the requirement.

A source at the British Chambers of Commerce said: “Most firms are extremely confused by the government’s guidance on vaccine passports. For many it is unclear as to whether they should use the NHS app to ensure the workplace is Covid safe.

“But a number of businesses are either planning to ask for vaccine certification or have already made their own arrangements.”

Overall, 78 per cent of respondents told the BCC they had no plans to ask staff for proof of vaccination. More than three quarters of companies (76 per cent) also expect to keep social distancing in place over the next year, and 54 per cent said the same of masks.

Last month, the Bank of America was said to have invited UK workers back to their desks as long as they had received at least one jab. The firm later insisted that staff had been invited to “volunteer” their vaccination status, and insisted it was not a requirement.

Legal experts have warned that businesses that do enforce vaccine passports are likely to face a slew of lawsuits on equality grounds.

“It appears to be a straight breach and we cannot see how we could do this legally, as much as we might like to,” one senior industry source said.

Boris Johnson announced last week that nightclubs and other big venues must demand vaccination status as a condition of entry from September, by which time all over-18s will have been offered a jab.

The Prime Minister is considering whether university students should be fully vaccinated to attend lectures or stay in campus accomodation, according to The Times.

Last week the Department for Health indicated that vaccine status could also be used to help people return to offices. “As many as 10.4 million people have now signed up to the NHS app,” it said. “The app’s Covid-19 vaccine status service allows users to show their proof of vaccine, which will help people to travel abroad, start returning to workplaces and attend large-scale events as we [proceed] with the roadmap.”

It insisted there had been no change in policy and that there were no plans to actively encourage workplaces such as offices to use Covid passports.