This qualitative study aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of US employees regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates imposed by employers as a condition of continued employment, through the lens of organizational justice.
This study uses thematic analysis of 21 social media videos from YouTube and TikTok, in which employees from various backgrounds describe their experiences of facing vaccine mandates.
Three primary themes emerged: employee resistance to the vaccine, employee resistance to vaccine mandates and employee turnover intentions. This study found that perceptions of organizational justice, particularly procedural, interactional, distributive and informational justice were central to employees’ reactions to the vaccine mandates. Many employees viewed the mandates as violations of personal freedoms, leading to increased mistrust and resistance within their employment environments.
The findings highlight the importance of considering employees’ perceptions of fairness when implementing health-related mandates, as coercive policies may exacerbate resistance and negatively impact employee retention.
