Hybrid Work: Getting Employees Vaccinated

The Getting Hybrid Work Right call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders on all aspects of hybrid work. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone facilitated a discussion of the implications of last week’s SCOTUS ruling on the OSHA ETS, and in doing so shared key findings from i4cp's latest Getting Employees Vaccinated pulse survey. Here are some of the survey data points that were shared and that participants discussed on the call:

• When it comes to defining "full vaccination," 24% of i4cp survey participants said they are already requiring recommended boosters in their definition. Other organizations have set dates for this change for February or March, with others noting they will only make the change if/when the CDC or other relevant agency does so.
• There is a spectrum of COVID-19 vaccination policies  across organizations:
  • 52% of survey participants said their organizations are encouraging but not requiring vaccines for employment.
  • 35% are requiring full vaccination for all employees, regardless of work location.
  • Between these two extremes, 26% indicated proof of full vaccination is required for business travel, and 33% said that proof of full vaccination is required by employees to enter work sites.
• The same is true for the range of policies for testing:
  • 24% of survey respondents said that negative tests are required for unvaccinated employees to be on site
  • 23% said that regular testing is required for unvaccinated employees as a condition of employment
• When asked what impact implementing the OSHA ETS mandates (and presumably organization-driven vaccination mandates as well) are or would have organizational culture, survey respondents indicated more negative impacts than positive, including retention, attraction, and divisiveness in the workplace.
• Organizations continue to implement or at least consider a range of policies intended to promote workplace safety:
  • 66% of survey participants said employees who work on site are required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status
  • 15% only require unvaccinated employees to wear masks
  • 67% are requiring ongoing social distancing in all workplaces
  • 46% are reconfiguring office layout (i.e., more/less conference rooms, cubicles, open areas, enclosed offices, etc.)
  • 26% are providing a hoteling / reservation system for onsite workspaces
  • 19% are adjusting on site work or job requirements based on vaccination status
  • Only 8% indicating they are physically separating employees based on vaccination status
  • Only 5% are requiring employees to visually indicate vaccination status (e.g., badges, etc.)
• Organizations continue to offer incentives to encourage employees to receive the vaccines/boosters:
  • Over 50% of survey respondents said their organizations offer paid time off to get vaccinated, paid time off to recover from vaccination, and provide education on the merits of vaccination.
  • Only 26% actually offer vaccination on site, and only 19% offer boosters on site.
  • Other incentives are more rare such as cash or cash-like remuneration (11%), additional vacation days (5%), or discounts on healthcare premiums (3%).
• Measures already being taken against employees who choose not to get vaccinated also vary across organizations, with termination of employment being most common (21%), unpaid suspension / leave pending vaccination (10%), and requiring the unvaccinated employee to pay for regular testing (7%)
• Return to the workplace continue to be disrupted for many organizations. 31% of survey respondents said that employees began returning to the workplace but the Delta and Omicron variants caused them to expand hybrid and remote work environments. 18% said they have plans for remote work that are indefinite for now, while 13% said they plan to return employees at some point in 2022.