https://hbr.org/2021/09/why-business-leaders-need-to-mandate-the-covid-19-vaccine?

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What keeps most of us from committing crimes is not constantly thinking about the
rules and the punishments we may suffer for breaking them. Rather, we automatically
do things that feel normal. Take seatbelts as an example. Most of us wear them not
because we’re afraid of being punished for violating the law, but because doing so
has become “natural.” As sociological research has documented, laws and regulations
help create social norms and shared understanding because it’s societal
institutions — governments, schools, and businesses — that collectively construct
the world we take for granted. In essence, through their policies, approaches, and
procedures, social institutions help create a world where certain things become
unquestioned.

When a company mandates Covid-19 vaccinations, the normative information they

provide is that these vaccinations are safe and effective and that getting
vaccinated is widely accepted and done. As more companies mandate vaccines, over
time this becomes the shared understanding, and getting vaccinated becomes the
default choice for employees and customers.

Conversely, when companies don’t mandate vaccination, it delegitimizes the Covid-19

vaccines by suggesting that the science is unsettled and that waiting to get
vaccinated is prudent. When companies like Southwest and American Airlines do not
mandate vaccination, it signals an institutional lack of confidence in the
vaccines. In turn, this stance fuels vaccine hesitancy among the 30% of
unvaccinated adults in the U.S., thereby preventing the social mobilization needed
to bring the pandemic under control. With their stance on vaccination, these
companies become part of the problem.