Intro to Indiana Labor Laws

Under the state’s House Bill 1001, most private Indiana employers who mandate COVID-19 vaccines must allow their employees to opt out of workplace vaccination mandates for reasons additional to the standard medical and religious accommodations requirements. In Indiana, an employee is also able to opt out of a vaccination mandate due to immunity from COVID-19 from a prior infection, as long as the employee is able to provide an approved lab test every three months to substantiate the exemption. If declared exempt, an employer may require an employee to submit to an FDA-approved COVID-19 test twice per week.

A new law in Indiana outlines the process by which employees may request an accommodation related to pregnancy and childbirth. Employers in Indiana with 15 or more employees are covered and may not take any adverse action against an employee who seeks an accommodation. This act expands upon existing anti-discrimination protections concerning sex discrimination and pregnancy discrimination, and employers should consider all applicable federal and state laws to ensure they respond to reasonable accommodations appropriately and in a timely manner.