So, you’re thinking about a workplace vaccination program 🤔

The Centers for Control and Disease Prevention (CDC) just released a new seven-page resource to get you started.

Here the four things in the new CDC release that caught my attention.

1. Not only should vaccinations be at no charge, but the CDC wants you to provide employees with paid leave too.

In some places, like NY, it’s the law to provide paid time off for employee vaccinations. If you continue to provide FFCRA leave, emergency paid sick leave is available for employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine and to recover from adverse reactions to the vaccine.

The CDC encourages the rest of you to let employees take paid leave to get vaccinated offsite and otherwise “offer flexible, non-punitive sick leave options (e.g., paid sick leave) for employees with signs and symptoms after vaccination.”

Employers should offer the vaccine itself at no charge to the employees.

2. Stagger the vaccinations.

Imagine everyone on the same shift getting vaccinated at the same time on the same day. How do you think attendance will fare the next day? It’ll be worse than a Monday after the Super Bowl.

So stagger those vaccinations to ensure that the work still gets done if several employees suffer any vaccination side effects.

3. You’ll want to have a vaccine “champion.”

According to the CDC, employers can help build “vaccine confidence” in the workplace by promoting leaders as “vaccine champions.”

The CDC also recommends that these leaders “reflect the diversity of the workforce” and communicate transparently with others about vaccination, including their personal reasons for getting vaccinated while reminding staff why it’s important to be vaccinated. Presumably, this transparency and advocacy may convince employees on the fence about getting vaccinated to get the jab.

Champion! Champion!

4. Don’t miss tomorrow’s edition of The Employer Handbook Zoom Office Hour at Noon ET

I could’ve sworn I read that in there somewhere. Either way, make sure to join David Miklas and me as we address the latest in vaccine news, FFCRA changes under the American Rescue Plan, and OSHA’s inspection muscles. Click here to register.

We’ll also do a lot of audience Q&A. So if you have last-minute questions, email them to me today.