The UK Government has made it clear that the way out of the COVID-19 pandemic is through vaccinations. As of the date of this article, 2/3 of the UK population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It is still not mandatory to have a vaccination, but the Government strongly recommends it and has published a COVID-19 vaccination guide for employers as part of its push to encourage them to support the vaccination programme.
The guidance includes a Q&A document on the coronavirus vaccine and an employer briefing sheet for staff. It recommends:-
- Employers share practical information on how their employees can get vaccinated
- A review of internal policies and procedures to see whether they discourage employees from getting vaccinated
- Senior leadership discuss their vaccination experience and implement vaccine champions to promote the vaccination programme
- Allowing breaks for employees to go and get vaccinated. The guidance does not say employees should be given paid off time to get vaccinated.
The bullet points above are just some of the recommendations from the guidance; the full guidance can be accessed here COVID-19 vaccination: guide for employers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
As the stay at home order has been lifted employers will be looking at how they can bring their employees back safely. This will mean reviewing the workplace risk assessments and internal policies and procedures to ensure they are protecting their employees H&S by providing a safe place of work. Employers will have to make decisions about what they ask employees about vaccination status, testing and other protective measure such as mask wearing and how that plays out into conduct policies and managing their data protection obligations.
For more information on these issues watch our latest webinar COVID-19: The next chapter for employers.
For further information on HR policies and best practices, please contact our employment lawyers