Vaccination status in starting to be a major issue for many companies, and it’s affecting how they hire.
An August 2021 survey of 1,250 hiring managers found that nearly 1 in 3 are automatically discounting job candidate resumes that do not include their vaccine status, and 69% of hiring managers say they are more likely to reach out to candidates who have already been vaccinated.
So here’s my advice around this issue:
· If you’re cool with sharing your vaccine status, then go ahead and put it on your resume.
· If you only want to work in an environment where people are vaccinated and taking every precaution against Covid, then anyone who rejects you because you included your vaccine status on your resume is not someone for whom you want to work.
· Before agreeing to an interview, ask about the company's Covid protocols if that is a concern for you.
By the way, it is NOT a violation of HIPPA to ask people about their vaccine status. HIPPA rules are actually pretty limited: they prohibit the release of protected health information (or PHI) by others without your consent. They have nothing to do whether you can or should answer questions about your vaccination status, or any other health issue.
There’s nothing in HIPPA that prohibits businesses, such as movie theaters, restaurants, gyms, or your employer from asking you for proof of vaccination, and HIPAA privacy rules do not prevent you from answering questions about your vaccine status. You may think it’s inappropriate, but it’s NOT illegal, and you can’t blame HIPPA if you choose not to answer.