We are advising employers on the permissibility of vaccine mandates in particular jurisdictions, the ability to require proof of vaccination (including data privacy considerations), how to treat employees who refuse vaccines, workplace health and safety requirements, and much more.
An Employment & Compensation Practice and Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Initiative
With major vaccine developments in Latin America, including kick-offs for vaccine campaigns, employers should consider whether a vaccination policy is right for their workplace, keeping in mind that such policies implicate a broad range of employment laws and regulations, and that many of these vary from country to country.
The United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has decided to sing the same song as its sister agency. On 13 August 2021, OSHA updated its guidance for American workplaces, auto-tuning its recommendations for fully vaccinated employees to match recent guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In an earlier article Making it Mandatory to be Vaccinated Against COVID-19: A Framework for Employers, Baker McKenzie associates considered the issue of whether employers can require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 based on the existing legal framework at the time. Since then, the Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation released two advisories on 2 July 2021 and 23 August 2021 to clarify the Singapore government’s policy on this issue and to provide guidance to employers regarding COVID-19 vaccination in the employment context.
When world economies face challenges, employment litigation claims of all types arise. In this In Focus video, Baker McKenzie Labour and Employment lawyers discuss the range of trending COVID-19 related employment claims and cases and share what Canadian employers can do to best position themselves to manage impending litigation.
Can private employers mandate vaccination as a condition of returning to the workplace? The recent spike in the COVID-19 Delta variant has caused the re-closure of worksites or changes to workplace safety protocols, leading to legal developments that provide more clarity to this issue. In this Quick Chat video, Baker McKenzie Labor and Employment lawyers break down whether and how private employers can mandate vaccination.
Employers have been facing many difficult and untested employment law issues over the last year and a half with COVID-19 and the impact it is having on their business. One of the most critical of these issues is whether they can make vaccination compulsory for their employees. On 7 May 2021, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (“MHRSD”) announced that it would be mandatory for public and private sector workers to be vaccinated in order to attend the workplace. On 18 May 2021, the Ministry of Interior (“MoI”) clarified that this mandate would come into force on 1 August 2021.
In this Quick Chat video, Baker McKenzieâs Labor and Employment lawyers discuss the new Federal guidelines based on the stop-light color system for States to follow when issuing regulations during the third wave of COVID-19 in Mexico. We also review changes to the criteria for employees to be considered vulnerable personnel, and share six tips for employers to keep in mind when implementing preventative measures in the workplace.
The emergence and subsequent spread of the Delta variant has led several countries, most notably the United States, into adopting more stringent health and safety protocols. On 29 July, President Biden declared that the US government would be imposing vaccination requirements in certain cases and offering additional incentives for its citizens to be vaccinated.
On 5 August, Legal500 and Baker McKenzie held an employment law roundtable discussing best practices for LATAM employers navigating the new normal. Tatiana GarcĂ©s (Colombia), Javiera Medina (Mexico) and Leticia Ribeiro (Trench Rossi Watanabe in Brazil) were joined by general counsels Gabriela RodrĂguez (Stryker) and Catalina Robledo (Nissan). Together, the panel shared insights around remote work, hybrid work and managing mental health issues in the workplace.