Thread by @marietcasey

Let's talk about employees being allowed to leave during working hours to attend their Covid vaccination appointment.

I think this is utterly critical that this is facilitated.

Every cancellation/rescheduling slows the vaccination programme or risks vaccine waste.

It is hugely beneficial to a company to do this, shows a duty of care to their employee and protects their busines from outbreaks. It is a no brainer.

There is a lot of confusion out there and it's evident to me that there are a few things going on.

1. Companies haven't formally decided that this is their policy.

2. If they have they haven't communicated it properly to managers and employees alike. It needs to be in writing

An example from my own life. Person I know works somewhere where they don't normally get appointment time off. They got their vaccination appointment and panicked and cancelled. Spoke to their manager afterwards who said "of course you should have gone". They rescheduled then.

Send that letter/email/text to your employees. It says to them how important their health is to you. How important the vaccination programme is to this country. Leave them in no doubt about your support.

Vaccination uptake is a very delicate thing. We have to think about the smallest things that might impede it and remove them.

Some companies I know are giving paid time off for vaccination appointments, so keen are they to support immunity in their workforce.