Draft #3: Text-Based Inquiry Paper

Olivia Orsini

Texas Christian University

October 11, 2021

 Introduction
Do you feel safe around the unvaccinated? The business world faces many problems throughout

each year. From dealing with technology, people, internal conflicts, and so much more. But

within the past year one of the biggest problems is the problem of the employers requiring the

COVID-19 vaccine for their businesses. Many people have different point of views on the

vaccine, but as business owners many of them want their businesses to get back to normal and

create a healthy and safe environment for their customers and workers. 2020 was already a very

tough year for businesses around the world due to COVID-19 shutting down their businesses and

the extreme amount of money loss. But how will they survive? One of the biggest questions

running through employers' minds. Then came the vaccine and that is when communication in

the business world became a key factor when employers try to require the vaccine.
 Causes

When COVID-19 struck the world in 2020, it affected businesses very badly. Companies had to

move to remote jobs and less in contact working. But within this past year of 2020 and 2021,

businesses slowly started opening back up with twenty percent capacity, then 50 percent, and

now hundred. But it took time to get there. The biggest problem is dealing with sick workers at

the workplace. Employers want the workplace to feel safe and healthy environment to all. It is

also hard when employees are sick due to COVID-19 and cannot make it in to work. And the last

thing businesses cannot afford right now is their businesses not operating. As an employer,

requiring the Covid-19 vaccine can come with a numerous number of pros and cons. Primarily,

an employer’s point of view is to always keep their employees and customers safe. But by doing

so, they managing to be requiring the vaccine. It also comes with the benefits that it will be

protecting the employees from becoming ill and having to miss work. In the article, “Business

owner shares reasoning for requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccine”, Emma James interviews a

local business owner Jeff Edmondson. Edmondson explains his reasonings on why he is

requiring the vaccine, “We made the decision that if we are going to take a hit, we'd rather have

all of our guests be here and be able to enjoy themselves and be mask-free, but it also keeps our

staff safer, it keeps our guests safer and it keeps their families back at home safer” (James, 2021).

Edmondson proves he is mandating this because of his local restaurant and wanting to keep it at

full capacity and mask free. But most importantly to keep everyone safe. At the end of the

article, James interviews one of Edmondson’s employees and she says, “This is our, we are here

almost five days a week, we have to do what we have to do” (James, 2021) Employees may deny

getting the vaccine due to personal reasons such as health conditions, religious beliefs, or

government control over lives.

 Effects

Even though the vaccine is available for everyone, many people do deny getting it. But before

you start overthinking it, many of the reasons are logical and due to health reasons or religious

reasons. But others may reject the vaccine due to government controlment and not wanting to get

it due to political reasons. In the MSN article by Danae King, it has all the information about the

vaccine and how different religions accept or reject it. The majority religion in America is

Christianity and Catholicism. Although most people like to think Catholic’s are against the

vaccine, they truly are not. King says, “Catholic officials expressed initial concerns about the use

of cell lines from aborted fetuses in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but ultimately said Catholics

could still get the vaccine if it was the only one available” (King, 2021). Even though Catholics

said that about the vaccine, they never said anything prohibiting against the vaccine. And the rest

of the branches of religions were advocates for the vaccine too. Another reason some may deny

the vaccine is due to health reasons. On the CDC website, they released an article titled ‘COVID-

19 Vaccines for People with Underlying Medical Conditions”. This article lists the medical

conditions of people who cannot receive the vaccine. These medical conditions consist of an

autoimmune condition, Guillain-Barre syndrome, weakened immune systems, or Bell’s palsy.

All due to these people's medical conditions, they all have an increased risk of illness from the

virus or even getting the vaccine. If an employee at your company is diagnosed with one of these

conditions, an employer usually must figure out a solution for this worker. Lastly, another reason

someone may reject the vaccine is that may not believe they need it or do not the government to

be controlling their lives. They may believe there has not been enough time or research in the

vaccine and enough scientific research behind it. Some views may be serious or employers and

why they physically cannot receive the vaccine, and others may be bias opinions.
 Personal Input from my mom a Business Owner

My Mom is a small business owner, and COVID-19 and the pandemic affected her small

business. I interviewed her and asked her why, as an employer, she sees the importance of

requiring the vaccine. She said that when she found out the vaccine was available for most

people, she was hoping that majority of the community would participate in getting the vaccine

so her business could slowly but surely start opening back up. She also wanted to ensure safety

for her employees and customers, so everyone felt as though they were in a comfortable

environment. All business owners want the best for everyone in surroundings, but they

understand the conflicts that can come with requiring the vaccine.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many causes and effects that come with requiring COVID-19 as seen

throughout the essay. But in the end, after everything we read, the business owners are constantly

trying to look out for the best interest in their employees and their customers. Owning a business

can be difficult and after the year 2020, it did not get easier. A final quote to summarize this

research from an article by Allen Smith and Lisa Nagele-Piazza, “Employers React to Workers

Who Refuse Vaccination as COVID-19 Cases Rise”, Kevin Troutman says, “Lead by example

and ensure that management takes the vaccines first”. This will create a clear and open

workspace area and build communication between businesses and their employees.
 References

References James, E., (2021, August 2). Business owner shares reasoning for requiring proof of

COVID-19 vaccine. KSHB Kansas City. Retrieved from

https://www.kshb.com/news/coronavirus/business-owner-shares-reasoning-for-requiringproof-

of-covid-19-vaccine

King, D., (2021, September 11). Faith and the COVID vaccine: What religions have doctrinal

reasons for being unvaccinated? Msn. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/enus/news/us/faith-

and-the-covid-vaccine-what-religions-have-doctrinal-reasons-for-beingunvaccinated/ar-

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Smith, Allen J.D., Nagele-Piazza, Lisa J.D., (2021, August 23). Employers react to workers who

refuse vaccination as COVID-19 cases rise. SHRM. Retrieved from

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-

law/pages/ifworkers-refuse-a-covid-19-vaccination.aspx