How to Incentivise and Encourage Employees to Take COVID-19 Vaccine

As COVID-19 vaccines become available worldwide, employers are considering how to encourage their employees to get vaccinated. In Malaysia, employers cannot force their employees to undergo vaccination, but they can still educate and encourage their employees.

Providing incentives

The OCBC Bank in Malaysia had recently launched incentives to encourage its staff to register for the national COVID-19 vaccination programme. Called the OCBC Bank COVID-19 Vaccination Support Programme, it has a few incentives for over 5,000 OCBC employees:

A day off for employees who undergo vaccination;
Up to two days of medical leave without any need for a medical certificate if an employee experiences side effects;
The choice to work from home a week after vaccination;
Reimbursement for transportation fares to and from vaccination centres;
Reimbursement for medical consultation if an employee needs to consult a doctor for vaccination side effects.

Earlier in January 2021, the OCBC Bank in Singapore announced the rollout of the Vaccination Support Programme for its 10,000 employees. The programme aims to educate and support the bank's employees on the COVID-19 vaccination process.

According to a media release, the programme aims to provide the channel for OCBC's employees to raise all concerns with a medical expert to make an informed decision on vaccination.

OCBC said that they empower their employees to make the best decision for themselves by providing them with more information about the vaccination and additional support.

There are many ways to incentivise employees to get the vaccine.

Should employers offer vaccine incentives?

Like many initiatives, even a vaccination incentive programme has its pros and cons.

The advantages of vaccine incentives

Encourages employees who are on the fence to get vaccinated.
Less disruption due to COVID-19 outbreak in the near future.
It might persuade more employees to undergo vaccination sooner, which keeps staff, vendors and clients safer.
Employers can show that they care about their employees' wellbeing.
Employees and customers will feel safer to learn that the staff have received the vaccine.

But there are potential drawbacks of a vaccination incentive programme.

The disadvantages of vaccine incentives

There will be extra costs involved that employers will need to budget for.
Those who cannot get the vaccine for various reasons, be it medical conditions or beliefs, may feel that it is unfair.
Employees who do not want to be vaccinated would feel pressured to get the vaccine or see the incentives as unfair.
The programme could cause heated arguments in the workplace as vaccinations can be a controversial topic for some.

Encouraging employees to undergo vaccination

In this challenging environment, employers might find it hard to spend extra money on incentives as listed above. But if you still want to do something for your employees, you can always encourage and educate them on the vaccine.

Here are some ways to encourage employees to undergo vaccination:

Provide updated information on vaccination availability, how to register, and what to expect.
Post articles in company communications such as company chat about the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.
Provide employees with factual information about the vaccines to help them make their decision.

Many Malaysian employers want to resume their operation as soon as possible. Some of them are searching for ways to encourage their staff to get vaccinated.

Employers have many options available, but they need to consider the issues involved and what will be the most effective for their staff. They can also encourage the staff to visit the Vaksin COVID website, which answers many FAQ and helps them to sign up for vaccination.

Sources: OCBC Bank, OCBC Bank Malaysia, National Law Review, HR Daily Advisor

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