Britain’s bosses back compulsory vaccination — but persuasion may yield better results

Vulnerable workers have rights too, but ‘no jab, no job’ risks a backlash and unions report positive results where managers have sought to engage with staff rather than resorting to threats, writes James Moore

A nurse administrating a dose of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine (AFP via Getty Images)

Has the time come to insist on no jab, no job? Britain’s bosses certainly lean that way. 

A poll conducted by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) found that more than half (58 per cent) of the managers who took part felt that businesses in the UK should be allowed to make vaccinations mandatory for staff returning to their regular place of work. Just a third (33 per cent) disagreed.

As Britain opens up, the issue looks set to become a prime source of workplace conflict. It might ultimately end up in court. It wouldn’t surprise me if lawyers were already strategising, so it probably will.