Should you be encouraging your staff to get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as it is offered to them? The government says yes.

Employers’ toolkit

Whilst vaccination rates are high and rising in many groups, the government remains concerned about lower uptake levels within certain cohorts, including younger adults. In an effort to win the propaganda battle, the government has created a suite of resources aimed at helping businesses to promote vaccination in the workplace. You can access the resources on the Public Health England website, via the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-guide-for-employers/covid-19-vaccination-guide-for-employers

As well as providing information and promotional materials for employers to use, the government is also encouraging employers to provide practical support to their staff, including permitting them to take time off work (with or without pay) to attend vaccination appointments.

Easy does it!

For obvious reasons, the government is keen for employers to engage in a positive dialogue with staff, aimed at encouraging them to get the jab. However, it is important to bear in mind that any specific discussions with staff regarding their vaccination status may amount to the processing of ‘special category’ personal data under current data protection laws. The processing of ‘special category’ personal data needs to be conducted very carefully, normally after undertaking an appropriate risk assessment.  

If you meet resistance from employees when it comes to discussing their vaccine status, you will need to tread very carefully. The circumstances in which an employer can insist on staff disclosing their vaccine status are likely to be very rare indeed.

Need to know more?

If you need more help with this particular issue, please get in touch.

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