In a recent survey by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), 40 percent of US workers indicated that they probably or definitely would opt out of getting the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available for their risk group. Further, 70 percent of those indicated that they still would decline the vaccine even if their employer required it. In the survey, 69 percent of respondents planned to decline the immunization due to concerns about potential side effects, 58 percent wanted to defer until more widespread health and safety data is available, and 41 percent indicated that they just “don’t trust COVID-19 vaccines.”
As we’ve touched on in a previous blog posting, requiring your employees to get the vaccine is possible in some sectors, but it can represent a legal mine field. Further, even if you do opt to make it a condition of employment, your workers can still decline the shot if they pursue a religious, medical, or disability-related exemption (as is the case with all other vaccines and other so-called mandatory medical interventions).
For some businesses, many of which have had to significantly alter the way that they interact with clients or customers on account of transmission risk, making the vaccine a requirement could facilitate a smoother transition back to “normal.” However, hesitation on the part of your workforce to return to the office may delay or possibly derail these plans.
If you are one of the companies that is strongly encouraging your workforce to get the vaccine once it becomes available, experts suggest that you train your managers on how to effectively answer the delicate questions that will no doubt arise as employees weigh their options. Noting that workers typically trust their employers, A. Kevin Troutman, a member of Fisher Phillips’ COVID-19 task force, notes that “hearing why their employer thinks [vaccination is] important for the business is critical to helping employees understand” why they should be immunized.
Specifically, experts recommend that managers be trained to:
Provide the facts
Arm your managers with facts from reputable organizations, such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), or even from your local health authorities about the virus itself. For more specific information about the vaccines, we recommend that you turn to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as opposed to the pharmaceutical companies themselves, as they are generally viewed as more trustworthy than the companies that may have a financial stake in people receiving the vaccine.
Provide the thought process
Choosing to get the vaccine should be a personal choice. However, folks will be best armed to make their decision if they can weigh all the facts. In addition to providing unbiased information about the virus and the vaccine, it is also important for managers to be able to share WHY your company specifically is recommending that workers get the vaccine. The talking points for the why should be pre-determined by senior leaders in the company, as well as your HR rep, and might include how the vaccine factors into return-to-work plans, including providing protection to coworkers unable to get the vaccine, or even just facilitating a return to normal operating procedures. This is most certainly tricky territory, but as much as possible try to ground your responses in facts and data.
Provide the alternatives
As an employee explores their options as it pertains to the vaccine, it is important that managers be able to discuss any alternative options the worker may have. Specifically, managers should be trained to explain the interactive accommodation process, whereby workers and employers work to identify a mutually agreeable reasonable accommodation for an employee unwilling or unable to obtain a vaccine. Depending on the employee and the scope of their work, this may include continuing a work from home arrangement, setting them up in an isolated workspace, or even pivoting them to a less public-facing role, among other options. Of note, each phase of these discussions should be appropriately documented and signed off by both worker and manager. Managers will also want to tread very carefully with this – and receive training and support – to ensure that accommodations are being rolled out fairly and without discrimination.
Provide a safe space
For some workers, approaching a higher up with their plans to go against the company norm (or expectation!) can prove distressing. Managers should remember that they are advocates for both the company and their treasured employee and be careful not to coerce them into a decision or sway their opinion with bullying or peer pressure. Instead, managers should listen to workers’ concerns, welcome the feedback, and be empowered to not give an answer right away if they are unsure of how to proceed. Having a manager tell an employee that they appreciate their suggestion and would like to loop in HR or other key decision makers is a perfectly acceptable response should the manager be unsure of how to proceed.
Provide a role model
If your company is advocating that all employees should get a vaccine, managers should – with the exception of religious, medical or other exemptions – go ahead and be vaccinated. In doing so, not only are they “walking the walk,” but they’re also serving as a real-life example that the vaccine is safe and that they trust the science behind it. Managers should also be encouraged to be honest about their experience. Feedback to date is that the vaccine does cause some side effects for some people, largely tiredness and flu-like symptoms, so managers should be upfront about this experience and discuss how workers might schedule their vaccination accordingly to allow for the possibility of side effects with minimal work disruption.
