How Employer Vaccination Plans Can Help Stem Coronavirus Pandemic

By Gigi Acevedo-Parker

As the COVID-19 vaccination effort moved into the new year, perhaps just as disconcerting as supply limitations was the number of frontline healthcare workers who refused inoculation.

At a veterans’ home in Manteno, Ill., 90% of residents were vaccinated, but 82% of staffers were not. One hospital in rural Alabama was overrun with COVID-19 patients and short on everything from oxygen to beds, yet nearly half of its 200 workers declined to be vaccinated.¹

As of February 18, 2021, more than 72 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been distributed but only 40 million people have received shots.² Some individuals have reservations about the vaccine, but such sentiments impede efforts to reach herd immunity, which would entail vaccinations for 85% of the U.S. population.

President Biden has pledged to deliver 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days of his administration through increased vaccine production, a greater federal role in distribution, and additional and expanded vaccination centers.³ However, even with these federal actions, employers have a pivotal role in supporting vaccination efforts — they can set up vaccination programs and boost acceptance with employees.

Implementing a COVID-19 vaccination program

The more workers who are inoculated, the better the workplace and the broader community are protected. As a result, any company vaccination plan should include the following:

• Strategies for overcoming risk
• Tactics to reduce barriers to access
• A comprehensive communications program to educate employees
• Measurement of vaccination rates by facility area or occupation groups, and as part of the organization’s quality and risk management programs

Several can boost vaccination rates. Consistent education sends a strong signal to employees to get vaccinated, as does having company leaders be among the first receiving shots.

Additionally, access should be made easy. Organizations should remove cost barriers, be it insurance deductibles or out-of-pocket expenses, and they should provide vaccinations at times and places convenient for employees. This includes times outside of typical business hours and during all work shifts.

If an employee declines a vaccination for medical or religious reasons, contact human resources, but do not ask prohibited medical questions. Should employees have non-medical reasons for refusing vaccination, require signed declinations.

Should your program be voluntary or mandatory?

Voluntary vaccination in healthcare settings tend to have poor outcomes. Yet mandated vaccinations have drawbacks, too. Among them:

• Employers’ liability risk from the vaccines’ possible side effects
• Potential damage to workplace relationships and diminished trust in the employer
• A false sense of security, as vaccinated employees may ignore important infection management measures like hand hygiene, social distancing or isolation
• The possibility that a mandated vaccine program might violate various federal laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act

Such drawbacks may influence employers to opt for a voluntary COVID-19 vaccination program. If so, they can enforce rules on declining the vaccine to reduce their exposure and restrict where non-vaccinated employees can work.

What a vaccination communications campaign can look like

Using several tactics will pay the biggest dividends; communications should be undertaken after the first phase of the vaccination program is complete. Consider the following steps:

• Implement “train-the-trainer” programs to education and acceptance.
• Encourage leadership to support vaccinations.
• Offer the vaccine free of charge to all eligible employees.
• Make shots available outside of typical business hours.

Employers have a huge role to play in COVID-19 vaccination efforts. However, just offering vaccines or mandating them won’t succeed. What will? Carefully considered and executed programs with strong communications that acknowledge employee concerns.

HUB International’s team of healthcare specialists is ready to help your organization assess its risks and ensure that your medical malpractice coverage is sufficient for the litigiousness that characterizes today’s medical industry.

¹AP News, “Vaccine rollout hits snag as health workers balk at shots,” January 8, 2021.

²U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC COVID Data Tracker, accessed February 18, 2021.

³WebMD.com, “For Biden, 100 Million Vaccinations in 100 Days Not Easy,” January 20, 2021.