Yes, employers can ask if you're vaccinated

A consultant at MC Advisory in Charlottetown has been getting a lot of calls from businesses asking about what rights they have to know about their employees' COVID-19 vaccination status.

"That's almost a daily question right now," Tanya Tynski, a senior advisor with specialties in human resources told Island Morning host Laura Chapin.

Tynski has been touring the region giving lunch and learns with members of Chambers of Commerce about employees' vaccination status.

Instances of employers, such as the federal government, requiring proof of vaccination have been in the news, she noted, and it is no different for any employer.

But, she said, it is important for companies to develop a policy around vaccination, and there can be privacy issues. There is, for instance, a difference between asking to see an employee's proof of vaccination and actually taking a copy of it and storing it.

"There is potentially a difference with respect to any challenges with regards to privacy and how that information is really going to be stored and maintained, and who will have access to that information," she said.

Policies can include things like requirements for unvaccinated people to wear a mask, getting tested regularly, working from home (if possible)or even leave without pay.

She said employers she has been talking to are trying to find solutions for the vaccine-hesitant that balance the needs of the employee and the business.