It is common for businesses (particularly those in the service industries) to experience bullying and harassment when interacting and dealing with complaints from customers and other non-employee workplace participants in the business. 

This can cause stress and anxiety for staff in the work environment.

These issues have come to the forefront as businesses continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing their own policies and procedures for ensuring a safe place of work - and also by ensuring that public health orders are complied with.

Despite the increasing rates of COVID-19 vaccination across Australia, issues surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and the workplace remain at the forefront of conversation; particularly given the mandating of vaccines within some industries and states. 

Authored by Holman Webb Lawyers Workplace Relations Partner Alicia Mataere and Associate Lee Pike, this guide is designed to walk you through the issues relating to COVID-19 vaccines and the workplace, to assist in your understanding of whether the vaccine is mandatory for your workplace, and if not, to help you decide whether you can/should make vaccines mandatory within your workplace.

Despite the increasing rates of COVID-19 vaccination across Australia, issues surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and the workplace remain at the forefront of conversation; particularly given the mandating of vaccines within some industries and states. 

Authored by Holman Webb Lawyers Workplace Relations Partner Alicia Mataere and Associate Lee Pike, this guide is designed to walk those within the Aged Care industry through the issues relating to COVID-19 vaccines and the workplace, to assist in your understanding of whether the vaccine is mandatory for your workplace, and if not, to help you decide whether you can/should make vaccines mandatory within your workplace.

In light of the recent extended lockdown in Sydney, and the new short lockdown in Melbourne, the question again arises in relation to whether an employer can require its workers to be vaccinated against the COVID‑19 virus.

There are a myriad of discretionary issues for an employer to step through in determining whether it can direct its workers to be vaccinated; as well as what steps an employer can take if the worker refuses to follow such a direction.