HR Policy’s latest vaccine webinar included lessons learned from member companies that have started distributing and administering vaccines to their employees in the U.S. and globally. CVS Health CHRO Lisa Bisaccia, United Airlines CHRO Kate Gebo, HCA Vice President, Human Resources, Clinical Operations and IT, Maria Benedetti, HCA Vice President, Labor & Employee Relations, Thomas Beck, and OhioHealth Senior Vice President Chief HR Officer, Shereen Solaiman, provided their perspectives on the member-wide call.
Employers are more likely to encourage than mandate vaccination. Given the legal uncertainty of mandating vaccines, most employers will opt to encourage employees to get vaccinated through communications campaigns or carefully structured incentives. However, the small percentage of employers that plan to mandate vaccination believe it is the only way to keep employees safe. Our earlier story on the latest EEOC guidance on incentives can be found here.
Consumers support incentives for workers to get vaccinated voluntarily. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found the percentage of Americans willing to get the coronavirus vaccine has climbed to 41% from 34% in December. Separately, another survey found 44% of U.S. adults said the view of their favorite brand would improve if it provided employees with a financial incentive for receiving the vaccine, while 11% would view it less favorably, and 49% of the public thinks vaccinations should be mandatory for essential workers.
Outlook: Vaccine administration has been determined largely on the state and local level, with states even having different definitions of "essential worker." Navigating this patchwork of requirements complicates the already difficult task of mass vaccination. The panelists agreed that consistent, and frequent, communication with employees is one of the most important components of an employer’s vaccine strategy. The full recording of the webinar can be found here.
