By Caine Bird, Technical HR Writer at IRIS HR
Navigating the global pandemic has been, for what feels like every business, a challenge without an obvious resolution. With headlines discussing the Omicron variant, and its potential impact on the UK, many office managers and HR professionals are revisiting once again how they plan to operate in the future, especially when it comes to opening offices for their employees.
‘Agility’ has been a buzzword when it comes to defining our current workforce, which feels more adaptable to the changing times and demands. As the new era of normality saw a welcomed return to the office, employers now must face the question of toughening measures and reviewing policies once again.
The continued effort to protect employee wellbeing and safety is at the centre of controversial plans to introduce stricter mandates that make it compulsory to demonstrate vaccination before entering a place of work. Behind vaccine mandates, many employers may feel they can protect their employees and businesses better. So, is it time to make vaccination mandatory in our workforce?
What’s Happening in Other Businesses?
In different parts of the country, many business owners and HR professionals have teamed together to encourage better vaccination uptake, especially working to government guidance and advice.
There’s an even more compelling case for mandatory vaccination – many have argued how it can offer protection beyond single individuals, instead offering immunity to communities and families beyond our places of work. That’s partly the justification as to why, recently, the UK has piloted and successfully delivered a larger vaccination programme across its frontline workers. Given the mass rollout of vaccination policies like this across the NHS, there are rumours that similar policies could be equally as valuable in private offices.
Is this a Resolution?
The pandemic has been a troubling time to navigate for many. The news of mass vaccination in the form of an office policy has been, at times, controversial. Despite the initial hesitation from the public, these kinds of policies have seen gradual but promising uptake throughout 2021.
A vaccination mandate is not, however, so simple when an employee refuses to participate in the scheme. This will leave many employers to wonder, in the absence of mandatory vaccination, what other policies might help keep an office environment safe, secure, and protected from COVID-19.
Vaccinations in the UK
As told by global Covid-19 statistics, vaccination programmes have reportedly seen more effective uptake in European regions, Asia, and other Middle Eastern territories. Primary examples include Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Spain; and, even those these countries are varied, they all have populations that are largely vaccinated against COVID-19.
The UK ranks 15th globally, which means there has been a slow but reassuring uptake of vaccinations. Whilst not as promising as other countries like Portugal, the UK has not compromised its drive to overcome the global pandemic either.
In the US, it would seem vaccination programmes have fallen behind. The slow uptake has, many have argued, caused high profile companies to react, issuing policies that regulate vaccinations within their workforce. This is not isolated to a small sample of high-profile tech giants like Google or Uber, but it expands to other companies like Facebook, Walmart, and Goldman Sachs.
Vaccination mandates present an interesting potential resolution to the challenge of employee safety during COVID-19. In the UK, where businesses have been more hesitant to adopt these kinds of policies, there has been a recent number of companies issuing vaccination mandates. In the UK, firms like Blackstone and publishing house Bloomsbury have adopted vaccination policies. The most captivating headline of its kind, Pimlico Plumbers revealed how it would “rewrite” contracts to ensure its workforce remains vaccinated.
Building a Fairer Vaccination Policy
Employers can deliver effective policies – without excluding employees – by planning and firming up programmes that ensure the office remains a safe, secure setting at all times.
Communication is critical
It’s recommended that staff are supported when they are offered vaccination boosters, which is critical advice offered by the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service (or Acas). This will prevent employers from becoming unintentional blockages to vaccination programmes.
During this time, employees may choose to disclose any medical reason as to why they won’t be receiving vaccination. Working with HR, ensure that these employees are not discriminated against or neglected under any new policies (their safety should be prioritised along with anyone else).
Policy changes need to be communicated with other building users, not just immediate staff. This means employers should think about clients, general visitors or other guests that enter and use their facilities. Ultimately, policy changes will need a communication strategy to ensure its ongoing compliance. This can be complicated if a business uses remote working to reduce office capacity.
To ensure you maximise the efficiency of these policies, consider the following areas:
- Do staff know where they can go to receive vaccination?
- How do policies affect their vaccination status?
- Are your employees expected to be testing regularly?
Collaborate with HR
The issue with vaccination policies is not typically getting employees onboard with the scheme, but managing the fallout if they refuse. If unmanaged, this can lead to high turnover rates as the US press recently observed.
Every business should be collaborating with HR to ensure staff expectations are thoroughly managed, and that a business has its key staff onboard to continue operating effectively. HR should consider retention plans during this period to appease any anxieties within a workforce. With many countries already noticing talent shortage, the risk of turnover would be too great to ignore.
To remedy these growing pains, many businesses have refocussed on how they can nurture and retain staff – rather than onboard new members. This means benchmarking benefits and policies, and reviewing how these can be improved to better please employee expectations from their work. When your people become the priority, the role of international HR consulting can help to ensure that staff feel significantly invested and engaged with your business’ future.
When collaborating with HR, you can understand how to engage employees better, such as open forums, a policy of transparency, and greater reward schemes. There’s no limit to how employees can feel connected to a business – leaders just have to be willing to understand.
