Commercial Integrator December 2021 - 12

SMB INSIGHT
How Pro AV Integrators Are
Handling Vaccine Requirements
We asked three integration firms how they are handling COVID vaccinations for employees,
and there is no consensus. by Zachary Comeau
IF YOUR COMPANY hasn't started talking
about a COVID-19 vaccination policy, you
should consider doing so now. Some of
your clients may be asking any on-site workers
to be vaccinated, and depending on
your size and location, your own employees
may need to be vaccinated.
This topic was discussed at NSCA's Pivot
to Profit in September, with companies
during a dinner session talking about a
variety of approaches they take. Some said
they simply encourage their employees to
get vaccinated, while others offer incentives
and paid time off to get the shot.
You may still be wrestling with a decision
on whether to mandate vaccines for you
employees or not. This is one of the largest
decisions companies must face right now, so
insight from your peers may go a long way.
We asked some integrators
ourselves, and this is what they said:
Abby Wolfe, director of marketing and
communications, Cory's Audio Visual,
Oklahoma City
Cory's Audio Visual is asking our employees,
contractors, and freelancers to be fully vaccinated
and/or compliant by Dec. 8, 2021.
We are currently 96% vaccinated.
Side note: We also went optionally mask
free in the office once we reached 80%
vaccinated way back in April of 2021. As a
company, we wear masks in public settings
like live events and on the jobsite.
We allow extra time off to receive the
vaccination and to recover from any adverse
effects.
We have consistently pointed to the
CDC and the White House to educate our
employees both on federal regulations, the
effects of COVID, and the research on vaccines.
We used information from the CDC to
also educate on other illnesses and bacteria
in order to encourage a clean working environment
moving forward. Those efforts also
led to a " scrub club " disinfecting team.
12
In general, commercial AV company owners say they are keeping an open mind
and asking their employees to be respectful of others' vaccination decisions.
In light of federal regulations, many of
our clients and their vendors are required
(or soon to be required) to be vaccinated.
Because our company specializes in both
commercial integration and live event
production, it didn't take much convincing
for our employees to want to get back to
work safely, particularly in events. Our
team really banded together on this matter.
It began as a means to take care of each
other, our families, and our clients. That was
evident when 90% of our team was vaccinated
by May of 2021. As federal worker
mandates were being discussed, it really
became about protecting our business and
continuing to work with federal-level and
large corporate clients.
Scott Wright, CEO, Lifeline Audio Video
Technologies, Platteville. Wis.
Vaccines are a touchy subject as people are
so passionate about their feeling of " which
side of the fence " they are on. We have
not had any customer require us to show
proof of vaccination before entering their
building. The mask mandate is a different
story as this is different county to county
where we live. Some counties are requiring
Commercial Integrator DECEMBER 2021
masks before entering every building while
others are not. Same thing for schools and
universities. Some are requiring masks, even
if their county is not requiring it.
I, as an owner, have not mandated vaccinations
for my employees to continue to work for
Lifeline. I have asked every employee to meet
me in private and state if they are vaccinated
or not. Their answer does not affect anything
that has to do with their employment, advancement
within my company, pay, etc. The
reason I ask the question is so that if I ever do
have a customer that requires only vaccinated
employees enter their building, then I can
comply with this request.
It's interesting as I currently have an
opening for a sales position. Last week I
interviewed a very qualified candidate who
has been with working as a salesperson for
a medical company the last 5+ years and
has been quite successful. He loves his job,
his boss, the company culture, etc. He could
not say enough good things about his current
employer except that they are requiring
vaccinations by a certain date in December.
There is no " discussion " about it with his
current employer. You get the vaccination
by this particular date, or you are immedicommercialintegrator.com
SCALIGER/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator December 2021
