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As health officials battle and a reluctance to follow safety guidelines, they could turn to employers for help. 

A from Edelman, an international communications firm, found that about 68% of Americans trust their own employer to respond effectively and responsibly to the pandemic. That鈥檚 compared to 43% for the government and 39% for the media.

This trust for someone鈥檚 own employer was shared by both Trump and Biden supporters. 

鈥淭here鈥檚 a special place for the relationship that people have with their employers, and we think that that relationship is going to be key to coming out of this (pandemic) safely and effectively, and frankly in a bipartisan manner,鈥� said David Bersoff, head of Edelman鈥檚 global thought leadership research.

However, he said there鈥檚 little support for workplace vaccine requirements.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about forcing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat kind of behavior is going to destroy the trust.鈥�

Instead, Bersoff said employers could use employee trust in them to incentivize getting a vaccine or make them easier to get.  

鈥淚f it鈥檚 not ,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 maybe helping them make appointments, or maybe giving them time off to go to their appointments. It鈥檚 sort of greasing the wheels.鈥�

Already, certain employers are offering to pay employees to get vaccines or hosting s. Bersoff said past surveys show people also look to their employer for trusted information, especially when there鈥檚 a lack of agreement in society.

鈥淓mployers need to use that perception of them to become a source of trusted information about vaccine efficacy and safety and the need to wear masks,鈥� Bersoff said.

Rick Grimaldi, a partner with Fisher Phillips law firm, agreed. 

鈥淵ou can do tremendous good by educating your employees on any issue, but obviously particularly as it relates to, not just the vaccines, but creating an ongoing safe work environment,鈥� said Grimaldi, who just published about handling broad changes in the workplace.

He said employers could even bring in other trusted professionals to talk about things like workplace safety policies or the science behind vaccines.

鈥淭he more people that are vaccinated, and the more we can educate people about the safety of the vaccine, the sooner we鈥檒l get back to normal operations and the sooner the economy will recover,鈥� he said.

But Grimaldi also said requiring vaccines may be the wrong way to go. Instead, he said giving people time off to get vaccines and recoup from any side effects could be a better way to go. 

He said 鈥渋t鈥檚 better to be able to educate and motivate鈥� even though employers could legally mandate vaccination, with certain exceptions. 

Grimaldi said Fisher Phillips did a national survey and found that employers prefered motivating over mandating vaccines, too.

鈥淲hen you mandate something, you tend to find resistance,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hereas if you can motivate, get people鈥檚 buy-in, gain people鈥檚 trust...they鈥檙e more likely to do it.鈥�

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, 萝莉少女 in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the .

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