Some Triangle businesses ahead of curve, others struggling with Biden's shots-or-tests demand

The president on Thursday directed companies nationwide with more than 100 workers to require their employees to be vaccinated or be tested weekly for the virus.

"As of right now, companies know the direction the administration wants to head, but there’s a lot of gray space and unknowns about how this will actually play out," said Brian Kropp, chief of research for consulting firm Gartner's human resources unit.

Empire Eats, which includes several restaurants and bars in the Raleigh area, is ahead of the curve on meeting Biden's order. Owner Greg Hatem required his managers be vaccinated by this past Monday, and he's given all of his other employees until Oct. 10 to get their shots.

"It’s time. We have to make that next push. We know that Delta [variant] is so contagious. We have to do everything we can with masks and vaccines to stop this," Hatem said. "We’ve had vaccine clinics. We’ve worked with people to calm their fears [and] show them the data. That’s just what we’re continuing to do."

Only about 45 of his 450 or so employees remain unvaccinated, he said.

"It was a hard decision to make, and I would say there’s probably about 10 people we may lose," he said. "The people that we lose is probably far outweighed by the people that won’t get sick."

Legal experts differ on if Biden's new vaccination strategy will be challenged

Still, most business owners welcome the president's order because it makes him and not them the bad guy for forcing workers to get their shots, Kropp said.

"Shifting responsibility from me as an employer to say, 'You have to get vaccinated,' to employers now saying, 'Well, you have to get vaccinated because the government tells me you have to get vaccinated' is a huge relief for most employers," he said. "Companies realize the value of having a vaccinated workforce in terms of having people not be absent or getting sick and having the workplace be safer, but also the cost savings of not having to pay for the health care costs for employees that have been getting COVID."

For large employers, Kropp added, requiring workers to be vaccinated will no longer be a disadvantage to recruiting and retaining workers in a difficult job market.

"People that choose to not get vaccinated will have more limited set of choices as they think about what companies to go and work for," he said.

Cary-based analytics software giant SAS Institute has started requiring proof of vaccination for employees to work at its main campus.

"We want to alleviate the impact on our employees and our already overwhelmed health care system," company officials said in a statement.

Officials at Bandwidth, a Raleigh firm that supports video conferencing, said the company "will closely review any legal requirements with respect to the mandate and take action accordingly."

The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce is still studying the federal order to determine the impact on local businesses, said Adrienne Cole, president and chief executive.

“As with any executive order or policy change, we are continuing to listen and learn as much as possible," Cole said in a statement. "As more information is shared, we will be in regular communication with our member businesses and the broader business community."

North Carolina Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson supports vaccines but called Biden's mandate "excessive government overreach and intrusion," according to a state Department of Labor spokeswoman. It's too early to tell how the requirements will affect North Carolina businesses, she said.

Gov. Roy Cooper said getting workers vaccinated is "critically important." He has ordered all employees of state agencies in his administration be vaccinated.

"It's important for everyone to get vaccinated," he said. "Just sending that message that we want businesses to do this ... is a positive thing. We'll deal with the legal ramifications."