9 out of 10 UK & US employers require or encourage Covid-19 vaccinations

A new survey from The Rockefeller Foundation has revealed that 93% of US employers and 91% of UK employers require or encourage their staff to be Covid-19 vaccinated.

On the heels of the Biden administration’s announcement advising workplaces to encourage employee vaccinations (as reported), the latest survey conducted by Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions, with The Rockefeller Foundation, found that the majority of US employers surveyed in August currently require or encourage employee vaccinations.

The study also revealed that more than seven in 10 employers are testing all or some of their workers; indicating a continued commitment to regular testing alongside the vaccine and other safety measures. Additionally, the study found that 40% of employers had an employee resign because of non-existent Covid-19 safety policies in place at work (such as masking, testing, vaccination, or remote work options).

CRITICAL ROLE TO END PANDEMIC

“Employers have an increasingly critical role in ending the pandemic, and our survey shows they clearly understand this,” stated Mara Aspinall, Project Co-Lead, Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions; and Advisor to The Rockefeller Foundation. 

Earlier this year “in March, we found that 89% of employers were planning to require or encourage vaccinations when possible; and 58% were planning to require them,” noted Aspinall. “Our latest data shows that employers more than followed through on these plans; supporting the nation’s effort to fight the Delta variant head-on and ensure that all employees are safe.”

WORKPLACE SAFETY CONCERNS

As fully-vaccinated rates surpass 54% of the country’s population, the latest survey (in a series of three over the past year) also found that among US employers surveyed:

• 60% offer incentives to encourage employees to get vaccinated; reflecting previous survey data finding that 65% of employers planned to incentivise employee vaccinations once they were available. 
• 72% require or encourage employees to provide proof of vaccination; an increase from the 63% of employers who planned to do so in March. 
• 72% are testing all or some of their workers; a slight increase from the 70% who were testing employees in March. This indicates a continued commitment to regular testing alongside the vaccine and other safety measures. 
• 40% had an employee resign because of nonexistent Covid-19 safety policies in place at work; such as use of masks, testing, vaccination, or remote work options. A further 16% had an employee resign because existing safety policies were not stringent enough. 
• 76% said that employee mental health wellbeing has become a top priority for their business; close to the 79% who stated this was the case back in March.

“The pandemic has given us all a new understanding of the value of workplace safety,” stated Andrew Sweet, Managing Director of the Covid-19 Response and Recovery at The Rockefeller Foundation. “This survey confirms that a reassuring majority of employees and employers are actively responding to the risks of the pandemic with the tools that are proven to keep us safe.”

THE NEW WORK REALITY

The survey also found that employers are adjusting to a new work reality. Key findings showed that:

• A majority expect working from home to continue; with 64% intending to allow their employees to work from home full-time through the end of the year. This is a slight decrease from 66% of employers who said so in March. 
• The hybrid work environment is still most popular, with 46% anticipating their future work environment to be a hybrid of in-person and virtual work; up from 39% in March. Around 31% anticipate in-person work and 23% anticipate a virtual work environment. 
• Office downsizing expectations have subsided. Around 20% plan to downsize now, compared to 22% of employers in March. Also 6% plan to no longer offer a physical workspace; and 17% plan to increase physical workspace. 
• Expectations continue for employees to be on-site part-time. Around 67% of employers believe that employees should be in the office at least 20 hours per week; down slightly from 73% in March.

Click here for more information about the series of reports.

Last month, the National Safety Council urged US employers to ‘prioritise worker health and safety’ amid the ongoing pandemic, by requiring their staff to be vaccinated. Click here to read more.