Are Your Contracting Business Employees Hesitant About the COVID-19 Vaccine? Here’s What You Can Do.

Now that the vaccine for COVID-19 is widely available, a lot of Americans are looking to go back to some kind of normal. But even though all adults and many children can get a vaccine, not everyone wants to. There are a lot of reasons, and construction has the highest proportion of vaccine-hesitant workers. If you have a few on your construction team, here are a few ways you can help.

Ask for Input
In order to get a better understanding of the reasons that your employees don’t want to get the vaccine, you’ll need to talk to them first. There are a variety of possible explanations, including:

  • Concern about efficacy
  • Worries about side effects
  • Inability to get an appointment
  • Lack of paid time off

The answer that you receive will make it easier for you to address changes to your business to solve the problem. If you don’t receive much in the way of answers, you may need to back off and revisit the subject later.

Make Reasonable Accommodations
If you’ve looked at the news occasionally over the past few months, you know that there have been a handful of problems that people commonly face when figuring out how and where to get the COVID vaccine. Some people don’t know where the vaccine is available, or if they’ll have to pay for it. Others might worry about the time it takes, or what they will do if they have to schedule the appointment during normal business hours. You can do a lot to put your employees at ease by making reasonable accommodations for them to schedule and go to each appointment. For example, offering paid time off for the appointment helps employees because they don’t have to worry about losing money as a result.

Update Your Sick Leave Plan
There’s been a lot of conversation about the potential side effects of the COVID vaccine, and it’s worth adding accommodations for these, as well. It’s hard to predict how someone will react to the vaccine, although experts suggest that the highest likelihood of side effects will happen with the second shot. Some people feel slightly ill for a day or two, while others are knocked flat for several days. Some may have no side effects at all. This is a good time to evaluate your sick leave plan, and make sure that you can make room for people to recover. They’re better off staying home until they feel able to work the full day again.

Evaluate Incentives Carefully
It’s tempting to give incentives as a way to persuade your employees to take the plunge. In fact, several states have offered different types of perks for getting the vaccine, like participation in the lottery or even direct cash payments. If you’re thinking about employing these kinds of incentives for your employees, you should do so carefully. Not everyone has the ability to get the COVID vaccine, even if they wanted to. Some people have documented vaccine reactions, or have health concerns that make them unable to participate. You don’t want to leave them out by offering an incentive that they could never get.

Avoid Ultimatums
Requiring the vaccine for employees may not be the best practice. Some industries, like healthcare, can require it because employees who are unvaccinated represent a serious health risk to the public. Otherwise, such ultimatums are more likely to increase mistrust and stress among employees, rather than promoting compliance. In some cases, it could be illegal to set such obligations for employees. Instead of forcing your employees to prove their compliance or show reasons that they have not, it’s better to make it as simple as possible for them to get it and encourage them to do so.

Having a vaccinated population is one way that the construction industry can get back to a new normal. To learn more about building your own contracting business, contact CSLS today!

This entry was posted in Contractor Business on by .

About CSLS

Contractors State License Service (CSLS) is the largest school in California devoted to the Construction professional. For over 23 years, CSLS has helped its students pass the exam to become licensed contractors in the State of California, licensing more students than any other school. From our main offices in Southern California, CSLS operates over 25 locations with full-service support and classrooms. We have grown to this extent by providing quality, professional services. In comparison, this provides 7 times the number of convenient locations than the second largest contractor school. Contractors State License Services is one of the only contractor schools in the state that is run by educators, not lawyers or people mostly interested in the bonding and insurance business. Contractors State License Services formerly operated under the oversight of the State of California's Bureau for Private Post Secondary and Vocational Education. As of January 1 2010, the new Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) came into existence replacing the BPPVE. CSLS now operates under the provisions of the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (CPPEA), Article 4 Section 94874(f). Our Mission is simple; We can help you pass your California Contractors License Exam. Celebrating our 25th year, CSLS has helped over 120,000 students pass the California contractor licensing exam to become licensed contractors in the State of California. Additionally, we offer complete home study and online contractor’s license programs to help you pass your California contractors license exam. CSLS offers licensing classes for all types of contractor licenses, including General Engineering Contractor, General Building Contractor, Specialty Contractor, Insulation and Acoustical Contractor, Framing and Rough Carpentry Contractor, Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry Contractor, Concrete Contractor, Drywall Contractor, Electrical Contractor, Elevator Contractor, Landscaping Contractor, Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning Contractor, and many others. For a complete list of contractor licenses, visit www.MakeMeAContractor.com and tuned for more informative posts.