71: Percentage of employees who say they’re concerned about side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine
What it means to HR leaders
The numbers are the latest to highlight the hesitance and concerns some employees feel about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. A recent Gallup survey finds that about one-third of Americans do not plan to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
Despite those impediments, encouraging employees to get vaccinated is a main goal of many organizations this year as vaccination is the primary way for employers to get back to business as usual. “This has got to be your first priority going into 2021,” Holland says.
Related: HR’s next big job: Convincing employees to get COVID vaccines
Experts say consistent education and communication is vital in order to get employees to buy into getting the vaccine.
Communication should be frequent and come from both team leaders and company leaders, experts say. Giving them safety and efficacy data on the COVID vaccine can be helpful, too.
