Nine out of 10 U.S. and U.K. employers said they are either urging their workers to get COVID-19 shots or requiring them to get vaccinated. Those are the findings of a survey released Friday by Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions. The survey also found that 7 out of 10 employers are performing coronavirus testing on employees.
“More than a year into the COVID-19 crisis, it’s clear that employers across the United States and UK are now taking a more proactive role and creating their own policies to manage the pandemic,” said Mara Aspinall, professor of practice at Arizona State University.
Results are from 1,339 employers, focusing on mid- to large-size employers who completed this survey during the month of March.
Many home care and home healthcare agencies interviewed in recent weeks by McKnight’s Home Care Daily said vaccine hesitancy is still a problem among some employees. Most are not requiring staff to get the vaccine and said about a quarter of their employees still haven’t gotten shots.
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice told McKnight’s Home Care Daily recently that vaccine access, not hesitancy, has been the biggest impediment to getting providers vaccinated. In late February, NAHC posted a video on YouTube encouraging vaccinations, but as of Friday, the video had only garnered about two dozen views.
Currently, about a third of Americans have been fully vaccinated. The percentage should increase as vaccine availability has expanded to younger age groups in recent weeks.
The survey also found that nearly 80% of employers say burnout and mental health are big concerns since the pandemic. Many companies said they are working to find ways to restore the mental well-being of their employees.
