Survey: Incentives, Policies Drive Employee Vaccination Efforts

04.08.2021
HR & Safety

Most employers won’t force their employees to get a COVID vaccine—but a vast majority will encourage workers to get vaccinated, a new survey shows.

Nearly all employers who responded to the Willis Towers Watson survey—96%—have already spoken with their employees, or plan to, about the value of getting a vaccine.

Another 85% have or plan to develop policies and procedures to make it easier for employees to get vaccinated, the survey shows.

But only 2% of respondents are making vaccines mandatory for their employees to return work while 23% said they have or are considering it.

And just 1% has mandated a vaccine for employment while 10% said they have or are considering it, according to the survey. That’s consistent with a previous survey.

‘Easy Choice’

A total of 446 companies employing 6.3 million people responded to the Willis Towers Watson survey, conducted in February and early March.

“Employers understand that by taking an active part in supporting the vaccination of employees, they can play a crucial role in ending the pandemic,” said Jeff Levin-Scherz of Willis Towers Watson.

“A common strategy for employers is to make vaccines an easy choice for employees by first helping convince them to get the vaccine, and then making it easy for them to do so.”

The survey found that 23% of employers are offering incentives to workers who get vaccinated.

Of those offering incentives, 39% are giving extra leave or vacation time to get vaccinated, while 10% are offering cash or other financial incentives.

Vaccination Confirmation

Employers can ask employees if they’ve been vaccinated.

CBIA HR Counsel Diane Mokriski recently created a sample vaccination confirmation letter employers can send to employees.

Mokriski’s letter is based on U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance and does not violate Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

Based on EEOC guidance, employers can ask employees if they’ve been vaccinated.

The CDC recently created a toolkit for employers to promote vaccinations among their employees.

It’s designed to “share clear and accurate information to educate employees about COVID-19 vaccines, raise awareness about the benefits of vaccination, and address common questions and concerns.”

It provides tips on promoting vaccinations among your workforce, materials for communicating with employees, digital and print communications resources such as posters and fact sheets, and printable stickers.


For more information, contact CBIA’s Phillip Montgomery (860.244.1982).

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