Take a Stance on Vaccinations and Enable Appropriately
While vaccine mandates continue to be controversial and divisive, the evidence that they dramatically increase vaccination rates is compelling. Yet, vaccine hesitancy lingers, and the importance of a clear vaccination policy and a strategy to increase vaccine take-up cannot be overstated. Over 85% of our respondents have received the vaccine or plan to receive it. When split by generation, older workers are more likely to get the vaccine, with 87% of Boomers having either received or plan to receive the vaccine.
This trend continues into vaccination attitudes. While most people (53%) would be more comfortable going back to the office knowing that everyone is vaccinated, the proportion of senior employees is much higher (66%). While respondents are divided on vaccine mandates, a clear majority (62%) of senior employees feel that companies can and should mandate their employees to get vaccinated. Out of those not getting the vaccine, most (52%) cited concern over side effects as their main reason for not getting the vaccine. This is especially true of younger employees, with 68% of entry-level employees concerned about side effects.
Those unwilling or reluctant to get the vaccine are much less concerned overall about returning to physical workspaces, with 42% saying they have no concerns about returning to work compared to just 29% of vaccinated individuals. Given the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, employers should consider taking a stance on vaccinations to ensure their staff are safe and comfortable at the office. At the very least, employers must drive vaccination take-up. A variety of measures are available for employers to encourage vaccination. Mandates work well, but other measures can be utilized, like linking certain benefits to vaccine status (for example, reduced health plan contributions for vaccinated individuals) or through workplace campaigns.
Access the full findings from the Healthy Hybrid: A Blueprint for Employers to Achieve Post-Pandemic Return-to-Work Success report.
Make sure to check out the other posts in our Healthy Hybrid series.
- Turbocharge well-being to attract and retain talent
- Be aware one-size-fits-all approaches to work location are high risk
- Expect turbulence when establishing new work arrangements
- Take a stance on vaccinations and enable appropriately
- Mind the generational gap in well-being
