Can you make staff have the COVID-19 vaccination?

Yesterday in Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that we will be expanding our COVID-19 vaccination rollout, with mass vaccination centres set to operate later in the year when supply becomes available.  

So, with access to the vaccine opening up, are employers able to require their staff to ‘get the jab‘?

Like all difficult questions, the answer is, it depends.

If you operate in an industry where a public health direction has been issued requiring staff to be vaccinated, or where your employees interact with people with an elevated risk of being infected (eg hotel quarantine), then it would likely be considered reasonable to mandate the vaccine.  For all other industries, employers will need to take a more even-handed approach.          

What can you do?

• Make information available to employees to educate them about COVID-19 vaccines and raise awareness about the benefits.  Only use legitimate sources like the Department of Health or state-based authorities like the Queensland Government website.
• Keep staff informed about eligibility and where they can go to have the vaccine.
• Allow staff time away from the workplace to have the vaccine using leave or alternative work arrangements.
• Understand that staff could feel unwell after being vaccinated and may need to take paid or unpaid sick leave while they aren’t fit for work (although the usual rules for sick leave still apply).

What shouldn’t you do?

• Pressure staff or offer financial incentives that discriminate against non-vaccinated staff
• Require proof or reporting of vaccinations (unless required by law)

It is important to understand that some staff may in the end still refuse to be immunised due to personal conviction or because of genuine health issues that prevent them from being immunised.  This is their right.  In these cases, it becomes more important than ever to continue to assess and maintain control measures in the workplace to minimise the risk of infection.