The CDC’s guidance for fully vaccinated individuals was welcome news for many hoping to return to regular activities with a sense of normalcy. However, the announcement lacked clear guidance to help businesses identify vaccinated versus unvaccinated individuals. Businesses are now left to their own devices to establish vaccine tracking protocols and safety measures to accommodate the diverse needs of their mixed immunity workforce. Mixed immunity indicates there are employees with varying degrees of immunity to COVID-19.
Why do you need a vaccine tracking system?
As there is rising controversy over Federal vaccine passports and one does not look likely, employers must establish their own internal system for identifying the vaccination status of employees and patrons. Businesses must track this information so they can identify who, at their workplace, can bypass safety precautions such as masking and social distancing. Without a vaccine tracking system in place, Human Resources must uphold all their current safety measures at full capacity. This action may instill resentment in fully vaccinated employees but without any precautions in place businesses risk endangering their unvaccinated or not yet fully vaccinated employees.
Current states with mandates to record and confirm employee vaccination status to relieve mask mandates
How can I track employee vaccination status?
We recommend automating your vaccine tracking system to make the process easy for employees to log and update their status. A digital vaccination tracking report enables Human Resources to easily view employee immunity status to inform reopening plans and workplace safety protocols. Additionally, Employers can easily download employee vaccination information to comply with local reporting requirements.
When inquiring on employee vaccination status, employers should consider asking the following questions:
- What type of vaccine did you receive?
- When did you receive the vaccination? If applicable: When did you receive the second booster vaccination?
- Where did you receive the vaccination?
- Can you upload a photo of your vaccination card?
Tips to help employers encourage vaccination at the workplace
Many of our customers are employing these measures to optimize their vaccine adoption rate. Find out how these tips can help you mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at the workplace.
Employers should ensure employees have access to accurate vaccine information
Employers aiming to increase their employee vaccination rate should keep their employees informed of their options and be open to questions. One of our customers, Redstone Highlands Communities, doubled their vaccination rate by establishing proactive measures to combat vaccine hesitancy.
Gauge employee sentiment to inform your outreach plan
Another step employers can take is to create a voluntary survey inquiring on employee willingness to get vaccinated. Employers can utilize this information to plan their vaccine outreach campaigns, assess workplace risk, and plan their future workplace safety measures.
Establish post-vaccine incentives for employees
Many employers have already started establishing employee vaccination incentive programs such as paid time off. With the new CDC guidance employers can also relieve mask restrictions and social distancing requirements for fully vaccinated employees.
Book a demo to learn more about our vaccine tracking tools!
