‘Those who feel sincerely cared about by their managers are more likely to trust and be persuaded by their employer's encouragement to get vaccinated’
Nearly half (47 per cent) of American workers believe employers should require employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a survey by Perceptyx.
However, another 43 per cent say they would consider leaving their organization if taking the vaccine was a requirement, finds the survey of more than 1,000 employees.
“There are clearly mixed feelings about the vaccine and when employees will feel safe returning to work, and much of this is based on the individual beliefs and specific situations that vary greatly,” says Brett Wells, director of people analytics at Perceptyx. “It is imperative that, given this inconsistency in level of comfort, employers truly understand the needs of their employees and ensure they feel safe and confident before requiring them to return to work.”
Fifty per cent of workers say that their employer has encouraged them to get the vaccine when available, while 38 per cent say the vaccine is required in order to return to the physical workplace.
Another survey found that 49 per cent of working Americans believe employers should require people to have COVID-19 vaccines in the workplace
Feeling safe
Roughly half (53 per cent) of employees are likely to get a vaccine if it’s available today, while 56 per cent would get the vaccine if encouraged to do so by their employer.
And 60 per cent would take it if their employers offered a monetary incentive of $100 to do so.
“Those who feel sincerely cared about by their managers are more likely to trust and be persuaded by their employer's encouragement to get vaccinated,” says Wells. “This is just one more reason why great leadership and investing in the individual and unique needs of employees is critical to an organization's success.”
The wearing of masks (57 per cent), social distancing (54 per cent) and frequent cleaning/sanitation (39 per cent) are still the top reasons employees would feel safe about returning to the workplace, ahead of employers requiring people to get COVID-19 vaccination (27 per cent), according to Perceptyx.
Also, 54 per cent say they would feel safe returning to the office if they were vaccinated even if others were not. Another 64 per cent believe there is no safe return to work until all employees are vaccinated.
Seventy-seven per cent of employees say they would wear an employer-issued wearable on their wrist if it provides benefits such as social distancing reminders and eliminating the need for passwords or access key cards, according to another study.
