When it Comes to Vaccinations, Put Your HVAC Technicians First

Don’t worry. This column will not be telling you to either make sure your technicians are vaccinated or recommending them to not be vaccinated. I am staying out of that debate for a few good reasons. First of all, the latest statistics say right around 50% of the U.S. population is vaccinated. Since vaccinations are readily available, that means half the people think they are important, while half the people do not want to get the shot. I am not in the business of alienating half of my audience — at least, not on purpose.

Also, while this might come as a shock to a lot of people … I do not have a medical degree. So why would I ever pontificate on something I am not educated on? I wish more people would subscribe to that theory. Might as well listen to me about what is the best type of diet.

But I do know the HVAC business, as I have reported on this industry for the last 17 years. The number one issue affecting HVAC contractors today is the exact same issue that was affecting contractors when I started in this industry — finding good workers.

So I implore HVAC contractors, do not let this pandemic force you to lose good workers. I am sure you already know this, but there is not a huge line of qualified and talented HVAC technicians that will be easy to plug into your company if you lose an employee.

It will be a tough needle to thread. You are undoubtedly getting calls from homeowners asking if the technician that will be entering their home has been vaccinated. And simple math tells us that you also have workers that do not feel comfortable being vaccinated.

Hey, nobody ever said running a business would be easy.

The old saying is the customer is always right. But we all know they really are not. You certainly want to keep them happy so they will continue to be customers and, more importantly, they won’t run to the internet and complain about your business.

However, when giving the choice between losing a customer or losing a good technician — that is a no-brainer. An HVAC contractor should pick losing the customer every time.

It is not the homeowner’s fault. Certainly they have legitimate reasons to make the request. But on the flip side, no doubt your technician has just as many reasons for holding their point of view.

The first and simplest solution is to get smart with your scheduling. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has said employers can ask about vaccination status. However, business owners still need to be careful. Do not ask any follow-up questions about why they chose to make that decision. Those questions could end up getting you on the wrong side of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

So find out which technicians are vaccinated. When a call comes in with a request for a vaccinated technician to come into a house, the dispatcher will then know what to do.

The problem can come when there are more requests than there are vaccinated employees. This will depend on the make-up of your business and the make-up of the community you serve.

Service Roundtable has interesting advice for their members. They recommend non-vaccinated techs being tested for COVID before showing up to a home that requests that type of peace of mind. They also recommend you charging the homeowner the cost of that test.

Whatever plan you come up with, be sure to keep your employees in mind. Don’t get caught up in what you are legally allowed to do. A lot of sharp legal minds agree that employers can require employees get vaccinated. But there are a lot of things employers are legally able to do that will drive off quality employees.

Don’t worry. This column will not be telling you to either make sure your technicians are vaccinated or recommending them to not be vaccinated. I am staying out of that debate for a few good reasons. First of all, the latest statistics say right around 50% of the U.S. population is vaccinated. Since vaccinations are readily available, that means half the people think they are important, while half the people do not want to get the shot. I am not in the business of alienating half of my audience — at least, not on purpose.

Also, while this might come as a shock to a lot of people … I do not have a medical degree. So why would I ever pontificate on something I am not educated on? I wish more people would subscribe to that theory. Might as well listen to me about what is the best type of diet.

But I do know the HVAC business, as I have reported on this industry for the last 17 years. The number one issue affecting HVAC contractors today is the exact same issue that was affecting contractors when I started in this industry — finding good workers.

So I implore HVAC contractors, do not let this pandemic force you to lose good workers. I am sure you already know this, but there is not a huge line of qualified and talented HVAC technicians that will be easy to plug into your company if you lose an employee.

It will be a tough needle to thread. You are undoubtedly getting calls from homeowners asking if the technician that will be entering their home has been vaccinated. And simple math tells us that you also have workers that do not feel comfortable being vaccinated.

Hey, nobody ever said running a business would be easy.

The old saying is the customer is always right. But we all know they really are not. You certainly want to keep them happy so they will continue to be customers and, more importantly, they won’t run to the internet and complain about your business.

However, when giving the choice between losing a customer or losing a good technician — that is a no-brainer. An HVAC contractor should pick losing the customer every time.

It is not the homeowner’s fault. Certainly they have legitimate reasons to make the request. But on the flip side, no doubt your technician has just as many reasons for holding their point of view.

The first and simplest solution is to get smart with your scheduling. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has said employers can ask about vaccination status. However, business owners still need to be careful. Do not ask any follow-up questions about why they chose to make that decision. Those questions could end up getting you on the wrong side of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

So find out which technicians are vaccinated. When a call comes in with a request for a vaccinated technician to come into a house, the dispatcher will then know what to do.

The problem can come when there are more requests than there are vaccinated employees. This will depend on the make-up of your business and the make-up of the community you serve.

Service Roundtable has interesting advice for their members. They recommend non-vaccinated techs being tested for COVID before showing up to a home that requests that type of peace of mind. They also recommend you charging the homeowner the cost of that test.

Whatever plan you come up with, be sure to keep your employees in mind. Don’t get caught up in what you are legally allowed to do. A lot of sharp legal minds agree that employers can require employees get vaccinated. But there are a lot of things employers are legally able to do that will drive off quality employees.