by Tory Summey, Patti Bartis and Jenni Dunlap, Parker Poe — December 22, 2020 . Editor’s note: Tory Summey, Patti Bartis and Jenni Dunlap are employment attorneys with Parker Poe in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Charleston. They can be reached at torysummey@parkerpoe.com, jennidunlap@parkerpoe.com, and pattibartis@parkerpoe.com. The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is prompting businesses across the Carolinas to ask: should we require our employees to get a vaccine? For many tech companies, at this time a voluntary vaccination program with strong incentives will likely make the most sense from a legal and business standpoint. On December 16, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance explaining that employers may adopt a COVID-19 vaccination requirement but cautioned that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) such programs must be “job-related and consistent with business necessity.” The EEOC also explained that to meet this standard, an employer would need to determine that an unvaccinated individual will expose others to the virus at the worksite.