Are you finding it nearly impossible to have a conversation that doesn’t involve COVID-19 or employee vaccinations at the moment? You’re not alone.
With the highly contagious Delta variant a continuing global issue and the Christmas season fast approaching, these continue to be hot topics for the retail industry. And businesses are being called upon to take swift and effective action to maintain customer and employee safety and confidence.
And, within this ever-changing landscape, policy decisions on COVID-19 vaccinations for employees continue to evolve. It’s becoming more important than ever before that workplaces can plan for and manage risks, especially as we head towards Christmas and peak season for the industry.
As vaccination rates continue to rise, retail businesses are seeking solutions to the immense workload involved in tracking employee information and ensuring compliance.
Here at Ento, we’ve developed VaxTrack, the all-in-one vaccination tracker tool to reliably maintain and track workforce vaccination data for you.
Why is it important to track employee vaccination status?
Having a record of your employee vaccination status is an important safety measure for your business. With vaccinations now mandatory across some industries, an increasing number of workplaces are starting to track employee vaccination status to give leaders the data needed to effectively plan for and minimise risk.
As a leader, it’s vital that you have access to data that allows you to plan for likely scenarios and this includes understanding the rates of vaccination within your workforce. Employee vaccination status can impact everything from the amount of office space you need, cleaning requirements, staff positioning, to customer confidence.
For those employees who are not vaccinated, there are considerations around shift positioning, for example accounting for the increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 in front of house roles. And for employees and customers who are vaccinated, there are valid concerns around their exposure to those who are not.
As with any change management process, maintaining employee engagement relies on clear and timely communication that outlines why the change is important and provides a channel for feedback.
Clear communication processes give you, as a leader, a way to stay on top of employee engagement and set the workplace up for a successful transition. As recommended by SHRM, best practice for employee engagement includes:
- regular updates at team meetings
- thorough information during onboarding of new staff
- surveys and feedback pathways
- blogs and social media updates and;
- opportunities for one-to-one meetings
For a quick refresher on change management best practice, read here.
In summary, tracking employee vaccination status allows for effective planning and supports a healthy workforce. It can help to reduce the risk of employees getting COVID-19, reduce rates of illness and related absences, and increase confidence for staff returning to the workplace.
What are the benefits of tracking employee vaccination status?
Effective and reliable employee vaccination status tracking allows you to future-proof your business by getting ahead of the game and keeping on top of vaccination information from the start.
With vaccination tracking, your business will have easy access to important data that can support you to remain open (or reopen) as quickly as possible through future lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions. This also extends to supporting your business to be ready and compliant with post-COVID requirements.
Vaccination data supports you to make informed workforce decisions and safely manage rostering and workplace layouts.
If you’re looking for a simple way to track your employee vaccination status, Ento’s VaxTrack tool is a fully automated and seamless HR workflow that enables you to manage the entire process.
Regardless of the size of your business and workforce, VaxTrack handles everything from the collection of employee vaccination data, through to issuing alerts and pinpointing scheduling issues,
It’s easy-to-use, reliable and ensures you’re ready for legislation compliance as policies evolve. And, it’s fully customisable and based on your unique business needs. With a simple report, you can view the percentage of your workforce that is partially or fully vaccinated, and filter vaccination status by role, location and division.
How can retailers get started?
VaxTrack is now available for both existing Ento customers and new customers. To learn more, book a free demo today.