Blanket vaccination policies could be problematic for employers if they fail to consider religious exemptions, McGuireWoods Richmond partner Courtney Malveaux told Business Insurance in a Dec. 1, 2024, article.
The publication reported that employers in many industries face lawsuits from workers denied such exemptions, which are considered more subjective and less easy to validate or disprove than medical exemptions.
Malveaux is a member of McGuireWoods’ Labor & Employment Department who is a former Virginia labor commissioner and a sought-after legal adviser on occupational safety and health matters. He told Business Insurance that a blanket vaccination policy is a bad idea, given recent court rulings and regulatory changes.
“For example, if an employer says all employees or all employees of a certain category must be vaccinated, that can raise a big red flag and can lead to litigation,” Malveaux said.