MAKE YOUR FREE Employee Vaccination Policy

Employee Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Policy

Statement and purpose of policy

1. This policy sets out 's approach to staff vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19).
2. It supplements but does not replace our policies on health and safety and sickness.
3. This policy applies to all employees, irrespective of seniority, tenure and working hours, including all directors and officers, casual or agency staff, trainees, interns, fixed-term staff and volunteers, and workers and contractors (Staff).
4. The purpose of this policy is to provide information about the COVID-19 vaccination and to encourage Staff to get vaccinated against coronavirus. It does not form part of any contract of employment.
5. The information set out in this policy is taken from guidance on the NHS and other government websites. We recommend that Staff familiarise themselves with the relevant guidance and check regularly for updates.

The importance of the COVID-19 vaccination

1. The COVID-19 vaccination is currently available free of charge to eligible groups through the NHS.
2. As we cannot provide medical or scientific advice on the COVID-19 vaccine, please see the relevant NHS guidance (www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/safety-and-side-effects/).
3. If you have any questions or concerns about receiving the vaccine, you should speak to a healthcare professional. If you have any non-medical questions or concerns, please raise them with your line manager or HR department.

Why the COVID-19 vaccination is important

1. We believe the vaccination is important to stop the spread of coronavirus, to avoid pressure on the NHS and to keep all Staff healthy. As a result, we encourage Staff to get the vaccine if they are able to do so.
2. According to the government:
   1. due to vaccination, fewer people will catch coronavirus and those that do are less likely to be hospitalised or pass away;
   2. not all who are offered the vaccine will receive it, and there are certain groups (e.g. children) for whom the vaccine is not yet authorised and/or available;
   3. even if a person is vaccinated, a chance remains that they contract and pass on the COVID-19 virus; and
   4. no vaccine is completely effective and, like all viruses, coronavirus can mutate.
3. We recognise that vaccines are not an immediate and complete fix, however, together with increased testing, the vaccination programme will allow us to return to a more normal life, including enabling Staff to return to the physical workplace.

What this means for you

1. While we encourage Staff to get the vaccine if they are able to do so, we recognise that some Staff may have concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine for a number of reasons, for example:
   1. they have a health condition, or are worried about an allergic reaction (or other side effects);
   2. they are pregnant, thinking about getting pregnant or breastfeeding;
   3. they do not believe the vaccine to be safe, or effective, or necessary; or
   4. for religious or ethical reasons.
2. As part of our Return to Work Risk Assessment, the government's vaccination programme has been considered.
3. The government has not made COVID-19 vaccines mandatory, and does not consider it necessary or appropriate for most businesses to require that every member of staff be vaccinated in order to return to the physical workplace or to carry out any particular kind of work
4. Due to the risk that a vaccinated individual may still catch and spread coronavirus, the risk mitigations set out in the Return to Work Risk Assessment will need to continue. We will continuously review the situation in ongoing risk assessments.
5. We, therefore, do not currently require Staff to have the vaccine, however, it is our  policy to encourage and support Staff to have the vaccine, by:
   1. providing accurate information on the COVID-19 vaccine, based on the available NHS guidance (www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/);
   2. signposting any other relevant guidance;
   3. seeking to alleviate the concerns about the possible negative vaccination effects; and
   4. providing information on taking time off to have the vaccine, and what to do if you experience side effects after having the vaccine.
6. We will not tolerate any bullying, harassment or victimisation of Staff in relation to their vaccination choices. Any such conduct will be dealt with under our equal opportunities and bullying policies.

Time off for vaccination

1. If you are invited to have your dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during normal working hours, you may take reasonable time off work to attend your vaccination appointment.
2. As soon as possible, you should inform us of the time and date of any vaccination appointment.

Time off for vaccine side effects

1. If you are unwell and prevented from working due to any side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine:
   1. report your sickness using the standard sickness reporting procedure;
   2. you will be entitled to sick pay in accordance with our Sickness Policy; and
   3. these absences will count in your absence records or towards HR 'trigger' points in our Sickness Policy.

Processing your personal data

1. Information relating to vaccination status is health data, i.e. special category ('sensitive') personal data. We  may need to process such data to record:
   1. time taken off (if any) to get the vaccine;
   2. time taken off (if any) due to side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and to process your pay for time off (if any)
2. Any such health data processing will take place in accordance with our Data Protection and Data Security Policy which is available.

Changes to the policy

1. As set out in the section entitled ‘What this means for you’, we will continue to keep the situation in relation to vaccinations under review in ongoing coronavirus risk assessments.
2. We reserve the right to modify this policy at any time in our sole discretion to adapt to changing circumstances, government guidance and/or business needs, consistent with our commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. This may, for example, include the introduction of mandatory vaccinations for certain roles or restricting certain roles to staff who have been vaccinated.

Attribution

1. This employee vaccination policy was created using a document from Rocket Lawyer (https://www.rocketlawyer.com/gb/en).