As you probably know, COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out in the United States for certain groups of people. The vaccine will begin to be more widely available and employers should do their part in ensuring their team stays healthy. Here is how you, as an employer, can help.
What Vaccines Are Available?
Of course, the main focus for many people right now is the COVID-19 vaccine. However, there are other vaccines that are typically promoted in the workplace as well. If your workers are more hands-on manual laborers, it is a good idea to be sure they have an updated tetanus shot.
Additionally, it is a good idea to encourage your employees to get a flu shot each year as well. When you work in close quarters, vaccines can help keep your employees healthy through the flu season. Some workplaces may even consider having a day where clinicians come to administer flu shots in the office.
The COVID vaccine will begin to become more available with time as well. This is something employers should encourage their team to get as soon as possible. Right now, frontline workers and many essential workers have already begun getting the vaccine, which is a series of two shots.
How Employers Can Help
There are a number of things employers can do to help push their employees to get vaccinated. In some fields, especially those related to medicine, it has been made a requirement for workers unless they have special health conditions. This is something you may consider implementing in your workplace as well.
Offer your employees time off to take care of the vaccine. In many cases, employees don’t take time off from work to attend to their health. Employers must offer time off or flexible scheduling to allow their workers to leave and get their vaccine. Having the approved time off will keep your employees from worrying about their job when they are safeguarding their health.
Send out regular reminders about the vaccine and proper protocol for limiting the spread. If your employees have returned to the workplace, it is a good idea to continue to share information about how everyone can help limit the spread of COVID. For instance, many businesses restructured how traffic flows in the office so people don’t have as much face-to-face contact. Many workspaces also require masks to be worn, among other health and safety precautions.
Once the vaccine becomes available to people on your team, you should begin sending out regular information about that as well. Share data and CDC-approved information with your employees. Give them information about the vaccine, the companies producing them, and the overall safety of the shot. You can proceed to encourage them to seek out the vaccine when they feel comfortable doing so after providing that information.
Be Prepared
COVID-19 changed a lot of things for many businesses. If you are thinking of ways you can improve your recruitment strategy, consider working with the Staffing Resource Group. Contact us to see how we can assist your organization.
