PNC survey: Many businesses to require vaccine
Nearly half of small and midsize businesses nationwide say they will require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination, according to a just-released survey by Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group.
The semi-annual survey of businesses — conducted from Jan. 2 to Feb. 2 — showed 48% will require vaccinations, while 22% plan to provide incentives for employees to get vaccinated.
Businesses are counting on vaccines to help operations return to normal, with 48% saying the pandemic is threatening their business. One in four owners don’t believe they can stay afloat for another year in the current environment.
“Clearly, small and midsize business owners have high hopes that successful adoption of vaccinations by the public will translate into an improved business environment, but many challenges remain,” PNC chief economist Gus Faucher said.
One local business that has mandated its employees be vaccinated is Wexford-based IntegraCare, which manages nine long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania, including The Pines of Mount Lebanon.
CEO Larry Rouvelas said the decision was easy. “We have an obligation to protect the health of seniors,” he said Monday. “It’s pretty important that we make sure that no one is carrying COVID into the facility.”
While in general there have been some questions raised about the legality of forcing employees to get vaccinated, Mr. Rouvelas is confident he’s in the clear.
“We’ve checked with multiple attorneys from multiple angles and we are confident it is legal,” he said, noting that exceptions are made for workers with legitimate religious or medical reasons.
He said he would mandate the shots for residents, too, if he could, but it’s prohibited by the state.
Mr. Rouvelas expects some 600 employees all will have been vaccinated within the next few weeks, or will be forced to leave.
PNC’s survey also found that 40% of businesses said they plan to increase prices in the next six months to cope with weak sales. That’s up from roughly 33% in the fall survey.
Nearly 1 in 4 businesses said they had cut their workforce in 2020, but most (82%) consider the decrease to be temporary.
The survey indicates any bounce-back in employment won’t come quickly. Only 7% of respondents expect to boost full-time employment over the next six months — a record low for the survey.