Vaccination requirements to work in a tech job office in Dublin

A private person can ask, sure. A private business can't just ask whatever of employees or customers, if what they're asking is illegal (where "illegal" can include subtle things). Maybe I'm misreading you.

Non-vaccination isn't a grounds under equal status or employment equality, no. But there are still ways in which these acts might protect a person who's denied service or has issues with an employer. For example if a person has an immune disorder, this might be considered a disability (defined in the act as "the presence in the body of organisms causing, or likely to cause, chronic disease or illness"). Mandating vaccination in this case could be construed as indirect discrimination under the acts.

Tongue in cheek, but being irrationally anti-vax is arguably a disability if you could get it diagnosed somehow, defined in the act as "a condition, disease or illness which affects a person's thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgement or which results in disturbed behaviour"

My point is essentially that it's not simple, imo.

Basically this

That remains to be seen, an application can be made to the DPC by an employer if there is an outbreak which impacts safety. Don’t be surprised if there are procedural changes as employees return to offices.

wife works for a sub company of HSE. every job posted on their internal applications noticeboard has

"proof of vaccination will be required in this position"

Article 6.1.d

It is legal when...

"processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person"

If you refuse to get a vaccine but insist on coming to the office, you are endangering the "vital interests" of your coworkers, thus you could easily argue your employer is entitled to request and process this data.

This is understandable. But thinking through it a bit.. it’s different from an office building being off limits for unvaccinated.

If it were the case that HSE employees, both vaccinated and unvaccinated would never encounter each other indoors, such as in a canteen for example, then it could be extrapolated as a premise for excluding unvaccinated from office buildings.

The decision to restrict certain areas of HSE to vaccinated only was taken after consultation with AG. It’s been made legal in the US, but private companies here are imo premature and expect issue to be clarified by AG prior to removal of wfh where possible guideline.

The "my body, my choice" thing doesn't hold up here.

I have absolutely no concern for the personal outcomes of people who choose not get vaccinated. If you want to get Covid, that's fine.

However, you'll likely infect several other people in the process. That's not fine.

So it's your choice, but other people's bodies.

A better comparison is smoking in the office. That is banned not to protect the smokers but to protect others from them.

Those of us who do the right thing deserve to be protected from those who choose not to.

If you don't want to take the vaccine that's fine, I totally agree no one should be forced to. But you cannot expect to opt out of very important parts of shared society and still expect to participate in everything else.

No, vaccines are not 100% effective against transmission.

But being unvaccinated is 0% effective.

Now, if an employer can do SOMETHING to protect their employees, even if that protection is not absolute, then they're probably obliged to do it.

It's like saying a hard hat won't protect you on a building site if a cement mixer falls on you, so hard hats are pointless.

As for choices dictating participation, I would argue it is the choice of the anti vaxxers that is dictating the consequences. This isn't like home schooling your kids or being a vegan. This is making a choice that will kill other people.

What law are they breaking? Perhaps if they tried to force existing employees, but in an interview, unless they impinge on the nine protected catagories in discrimination, mostly anything goes.

It would but it would not prevent you from traveling continually. You could arrange childcare with notice, you cannot travel on a plane without a COVID cert. If foreign travel was a requirement of the job asking for a COVID certificate would be like looking for a driving license off a travelling salesman

Vaccines protect people. I think I saw a stat that of the 50 odd ICU cases, less than 10( I think the numbers quoted was 5) are people who have been vaccinated. That's a startling statistic. As people most impacted by COVID are older or vulnerable people.

In a way it shows your misunderstanding of safety. Yes a hardhead will protect you if a nut or bolt falls from a height it will stop you from a life changing injury if it hits your head, if it bounces onto your shoulder or hits yo on the back you still get injured, if it's an RSJ that falls on you, it no f@@king use. So the hard hat done not provide 100% protection either.

It's interesting as well that you choose hard hats. ESB electricians are require to wear hard hats even inside in installation where nothing will fall on them on insulated floors. It prevents the top head from providing an earth contact off equipment that might kill them if they come in contact with live current.

Once you think you have the perfect candidate. Bring her/him to the nearest pub where you know they 100% check the DCC, for a chat about the position and see how it goes.

Better yet, just conduct the interview in a pub. More seriously though, employers can just separate candidates into two sets - vaccinated and unknown and take it from there.

I am currently WFH with some talk of some people returning to the office. I noticed about a month ago that management have stopped talking about vaccinations. Never have I been asked in general chit-chat conversation by anyone senior about if I have been vaccinated or not. Seems to be a HR thing "Do not ask".

When I started my new job I was warned on the first day not to ask people if they were vaccinated. It was "politically incorrect" I was told.

Not sure how many employers would be bothered trying to lure candidates into pubs. Sounds a bit comical.

Is a company liable if their employees get covid? In my experience if a company isn't liable for something then it isn't an overwhelming priority.

There is a labour shortage with rising wages atm, in some sectors at least.

If vaccines were 100% effective in preventing infection, it wouldn't matter as much but that's not the case. People would still rather not pick up covid, even if they're vaccinated. I wouldn't die from being slapped across the face by a wet fish wielded by an even wetter fish but I'd still prefer that it didn't happen.