Complete Story
09/08/2021
6 Options for Employers Wanting to Improve Vaccination Rates
Fisher Phillips, August 2, 2021. Updated August 31, 2021.
With the Delta-variant-fueled surge of COVID-19 cases leading to new CDC masking guidance, statewide mandates, and the specter of further restrictions, employers have a renewed interest in seeing the vaccination rate of their workforces climb. Yet many employers report frustration at a hesitant bloc of workers who have not yet received any vaccine doses. This hesitancy is only emboldened by the CDC’s most recent data suggesting that, although rare, those who are fully vaccinated can contract and transmit the virus. What can you do if you fall into this group that is still striving to increase vaccination rates among employees? Here are six options employers can consider to improve workforce vaccination percentages, listed from what could be classified least to most intrusive.
Note: you can effectively mix and match these initiatives; don’t necessarily limit yourself to one option.
Option 1: Launch an Informational Campaign
Before considering any other option, evaluate whether you can make progress in your drive to improve vaccination rates by offering targeted informational opportunities to your workers about the vaccines. Many people are flooded with disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines from social media, disreputable news sources, and word of mouth. Reliable informational efforts are critically important in light of the recent revelation that fully vaccinated individuals cannot only contract, but transmit, COVID-19. Others simply don’t pay attention to the news the way you do and therefore are not knowledgeable about some very basic information (many believe they have to pay for the vaccine, for example, even though a simple internet search would show they are free of charge).
Employers can help their workforce sort through the confusing and often contradictory information found online by emphasizing that although the vaccine is not 100% effective at preventing infection or transmission of COVID-19, it is still the best defense against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. According to the CDC, less than .004% of those fully vaccinated have been hospitalized with COVID-19, and only .0001% have died. By addressing specific questions, concerns, or misconceptions among vaccination skeptics in your workforce, such targeted information can be effective.
You can provide information through a variety of methods depending on your company culture, the workers you are trying to reach. You might even vary your methods and roll out a wave of informational opportunities striking different chords at each pass. Some options to consider:
- Having your HR department, legal department, or company leadership present informal question-and-answer sessions.
- Inviting respected representatives from your medical community or other public health officials to your place of business for a lunch-and-learn series.
- Including community leaders and employees in interactive conversations to help combat mistrust of the vaccines.
- Showing videos available from the CDC or other state resources about the vaccines.
- Soliciting questions ahead of time via confidential means and answering them at group gatherings.
Make sure you offer these opportunities in every language necessary to get your point across and provide your workers with take-home materials so they can consider the matter at their own pace and even discuss it with their families. And to make sure you get as many people in attendance as possible (and to comply with state and federal wage and hour laws), you should pay your employees for the time they spend at your education sessions.
Option 2: Offer Incentives
The second option you can take falls into the “carrot” category, foregoing any “stick” – offering incentives to any worker who can prove they are fully vaccinated. The most common incentives employers have offered include cash, gifts, or paid time off. Thanks to clear guidance from the EEOC earlier this summer, you have simple directions to ensure you don’t run afoul of any discrimination laws if you decide to offer incentives:
- If your employees voluntarily provide documentation confirming they have been vaccinated and got the shot on their own from a pharmacy, public health department, or other health care provider in the community, you can offer them any incentive you’d like with no apparent limitations.
- If your organization (or an entity acting on your organization’s behalf) administers the vaccine, you can still offer incentives – but they cannot be so substantial in value as to be considered coercive.
