COVID-19 Vaccinations - Are You Prepared?

As you will be aware, the Government is currently rolling out the COVID-19 vaccinations which will be available as a priority for workers in some high-risk industries.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EMPLOYERS?

The majority of employers should assume that they won’t be able to require their employees to be vaccinated against coronavirus. However, there is no issue with encouraging and recommending vaccination. If you choose to do this, we recommend taking the following steps:

• Establish a plan for communication with your team, ensuring they have a safe way to ask questions, raise concerns, and access further information,

• Ensure you are staying up to date, and aligned with Government guidelines around vaccination timing and types,

• Initiate a plan that would enable employees to obtain vaccinations during work hours without impacting productivity, and

• Consider your response if an employee refuses to receive the vaccination for reasons such as health, religious or political views.

You should expect that not all employees will jump onboard and will need to ensure you don’t discriminate against someone if they decide not to get the vaccination. If your business operates in a high-risk industry (health care, aged care, disability care) you may need to direct your employees to have the COVID-19 vaccine before they can work. If this is the case for you, or you are unsure whether you fit into this category, please speak to us for some more specific advice.

We are available to facilitate conversations and develop a plan or policy to ensure you and your leadership team understand, and are aligned to your approach, before you are required to act.

Further information: Fair Work COVID-19 information or Safe Work Australia Covid 19 Information

If you would like specific advice and assistance to manage this within your workplace, please contact your primary consultant or get in touch here