60 per cent of Australian businesses confused by lack of guidance on COVID-19 vaccine roll out: new research
2 February 2020 – New research, released by the Australian HR Institute, has found that almost 60 per cent of Australian businesses are finding the lack of government guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination for organisations confusing.
Sarah McCann-Bartlett FAICD, Chief Executive Officer, Australian HR Institute, said it’s clear that organisations are desperate for clear and consistent advice from all levels of government about how they need to approach the vaccine roll out with their employees.
“Without this, businesses risk an increase in claims by employees (such as unfair dismissal) and issues with organisational culture if employers are seen by employees as heavy handed or not considering their health.”
The research found that 40 per cent of businesses are unprepared for any decision that the government directs on mandating vaccines.
“This encompasses workplace health & safety, individual health, individual rights and employer rights. It’s therefore critical that organisations are clear on the government advice as it relates to their state and industry.”
She added that the more communication on this issue, the better.
“No matter what the Government advice is, it is critical that businesses have a clear and consistent policy on this issue, good HR processes in place, and are effectively communicating both of these to staff.”
Almost 13 per cent (12.7 per cent) of the organisations surveyed are considering implementing a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. A majority (50.9 per cent) say they want to wait for further government advice.
For more information on this issue, visit AHRI’s Discussion Paper on mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations here.
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Notes to editors
The Australian HR Institute surveyed 636 human resource and business leaders between
25 January and 29 January 2020.
