Now that we know vaccine mandates don’t lead to mass resignations, many more employers are taking the plunge. But there are still better and worse ways to do it, and there’s still a risk of alienating large numbers of employees, and driving some away.

John Moore, the CEO of Atria Senior Living, decided earlier than most to require vaccinations for his, as well as for the 21,000 residents they serve. It was controversial, but he found a way to make it work, pulling his people closer instead of pushing them away.

We all have an obligation to control COVID. It's not just a business problem, it's society's problem. But I can tell you — I can show you — how your business will do better if you take a leadership approach on this, to make sure that you do everything you can and use every tool that's available to keep COVID in check.

— John Moore, CEO, Atria Senior Living

In the video below, we hear from John about his strategy, and from someone closer to the ground — Lachaka Johnson, the Engage Life Director at an Atria facility in Tyler, TX — about how it’s played out in practice.

The key was in the outreach. The basic message was simple: a mix of determination — this wasn’t up for a vote — and respectful explanation. “It wasn't just, ‘You have to do it,’” John says, “it was, ‘we're going to do this, and here's why.’” 

But the goal was to do more than just persuade. John and his team developed a campaign called “Sleeve Up,” which they promoted with “lots of selling,” and which helped them build excitement around “banding together and taking COVID on.”

For Lachaka and many of her colleagues, the campaign made all the difference. “Everybody was a little hesitant at first,” she says. “No one wanted to get COVID, but at the same time, everybody was kind of nervous about the vaccine.” But the messaging put them “more at ease,” and ultimately generated real enthusiasm.

“After I ‘sleeved up,’ I felt a whole lot better,” Lachaka says, adding that she also values the energy that the campaign brought to her workplace. “I love the way everybody’s just come together. I love the environment.” 

John acknowledges that there was no guarantee it would work. But he believed it was both the right thing to do and the best choice for the health of the business. And indeed, it has paid off — in safety, customer confidence, trust and employee satisfaction.

“As negative as using a word like mandate can seem,” he says, “it has been very unifying for our company.”

Check out the video for more from John and Lachaka on making mandates work.