Promoting Vaccination in the Workplace

Hosting a Flu Vaccination Clinic

Planning

The planning process should also include input from management, human resources, employees, and labor representatives, as appropriate.

• Get senior management buy-in to support a flu vaccination clinic at the workplace. Frame getting employees vaccinated against flu as a business priority and create a goal aligned with this effort.
• Identify a flu vaccination coordinator and/or team with defined roles and responsibilities. Occupational health personnel or workplace safety staff may lead these efforts for employers.
• Determine if you will need to contract with an experienced outside provider of flu vaccination services (such as a pharmacy or community immunizer).
• Schedule the flu vaccination clinic to maximize employee participation. Flu season usually begins in the fall. Consider hosting your vaccination clinic(s) before the end of October.
• Gauge need and demand among employees for flu vaccination. Provide sufficient and accessible flu vaccination in as many business locations as possible.
• Ask managers and supervisors to allow employees to attend your on-site flu vaccination clinic as part of their workday and without having to “go off of the clock.”
• Consider offering flu vaccination to employees’ families.
• Set a goal and show employees how their participation matters. Each year, try to improve upon the percentage of employees vaccinated.
• If your business hosts a vaccination clinic, follow CDC’s guidelines and best practices, which can be found in Resources for Hosting a Vaccination Clinic. After implementing these best practices, make sure your organization signs the pledge to be recognized as an organization that follows best practices.

Hosting & Promotion

• Use incentives for flu vaccination to increase participation, such as offering vaccine at no or low cost, providing refreshments at the clinic, or holding a contest for the department with the highest percentage of vaccinated employees.
• Promote the flu vaccination clinic with the following:
  • Posters about the importance of flu vaccination can be posted in break rooms, cafeterias, and other high-traffic areas.
  • An article in company communications (e.g., newsletters, intranet, emails, portals, etc.) can highlight the clinic and flu prevention.
  • Promotional posters/flyers to advertise the date and time of the clinic(s) should be posted in high-traffic areas.
  • Communication promoting vaccination from business leadership directly to employees can encourage participation in the clinic.
  • Use social media channels to promote flu vaccination!

Logistics

• Provide a comfortable and convenient location for flu vaccination clinics. Consider the demands of space and need for privacy.
• Set an example by encouraging managers and business leaders to get vaccinated first.

Encourage Vaccination

If hosting a flu vaccination clinic at your workplace is not possible, consider other steps to encourage vaccination.

• Be flexible in your human resources (HR) policies. Establish policies that allow employees to take an hour or two to seek flu vaccinations in the community.
• Use promotional posters/flyers to advertise locations in the community that offer seasonal flu vaccinations. Display posters about flu vaccination in break rooms, cafeterias, and other high-traffic areas.
• Post articles in company communications (i.e., newsletters, intranet, emails, portals, etc.) about the importance of flu vaccination and where to get the vaccine in the community.
• Share the flu vaccine finder with employees to help them find out where they can get a flu vaccine: https://vaccinefinder.org/.
• Encourage flu vaccination for employees’ families by distributing information for employees to take home.