A vaccine is good news for businesses thinking about getting their employees back to work – isn’t it? With the office unlikely to ever be the same again, here are the questions HR directors should be asking

For many businesses, news of a Covid-19 vaccine has been welcomed, marking the beginning of the end for the virus, a return to some kind of ‘normality’, and the opportunity to bring back employees to the workplace safely.

However, the rollout of a vaccine isn’t without its challenges for employers, who will be confronted with a number of practical and ethical questions that will need to be addressed with thought and care. Here, we answer some of the most common concerns.

Will a vaccine allow us to return to normal working conditions?

Maybe – but not straight away – say the experts. “Should a vaccine be successful, it could result in social distancing and other measures being relaxed or abolished, says Paul Kelly, Head of Employment at Blacks Solicitors, speaking to People Management. “However, given the way in which we have had to adapt to living with Covid-19 this year, it is likely that working conditions may never fully return to how they were before the pandemic,” he adds.

Andrew Willis, Head of Legal at HR consultancy, Croner, says it remains to be seen how quickly any of these vaccines will allow restrictions to be lifted. “Employers will need to keep up to date with all guidance coming from [their governments],” he says. “It’s likely to take some time to vaccinate the [population], meaning that we may need to live under certain levels of restriction for some time.”

Willis adds: “Many employers have discovered the benefits of remote working that previously they may have thought impossible – this has resulted in a cultural shift that is likely to continue into the future.”

According to Wired, employee safety remains the biggest hurdle to a full return to the office. It reports on a LinkedIn study of UK C-suite executives from mid-sized companies, which found that two-fifths expect employees will be resistant to going back when offices reopen. “With a more flexible future likely, the biggest challenge companies will have beyond safety concerns is how they can create inclusive workplaces and cultures that work for remote workers, hybrid workers, and office-only workers,” says Janine Chamberlin, Senior Director at LinkedIn.

Can businesses insist that employees are vaccinated?

There will be some that believe employees being vaccinated before coming back to the workplace is the most effective  way of eliminating the risk of infection at work. However, requiring your workforce to be vaccinated will be difficult to achieve from both a legal and employee relations perspective.

Employers might want to ask themselves ‘just because we can, does it mean we should?’ Even after the vaccine has been rolled out, is it essential for your employees to be in the office? Is it safe? Do your people want to do it?

In a December 2020 Gartner poll, 60% of HR leaders said they would encourage employees to get vaccinated, but wouldn’t require it. Less than one-third of polled HR leaders said they believed it to be ethical to mandate a Covid-19 vaccine, and only 3% said they would require employees to show proof of vaccination to return to the workplace.

There are plenty of employment law challenges that could arise from a compulsory vaccination requirement, including potential discrimination issues (specifically on the grounds of disability, age, and/ or religion/belief). There is also a human rights argument linked to an employee’s right to respect for their private life.

“It is difficult to see how employers could compel their employees to get vaccinated before returning to work if the government does not make vaccination mandatory, particularly if the employment does not involve work with vulnerable people,” says Nikola Southern, employment law partner at Kingsley Napley, speaking to Financial News.

Wired points to a poll by the Vaccine Confidence Project, which found that a mandatory policy by businesses could even have the opposite effect: every respondent to the poll said they would be ‘less likely’ to welcome the vaccine if employers commanded it.

Could we offer the vaccine as a work benefit in the same way as the flu vaccine?

“Assuming we eventually get to a stage where they can be purchased privately in the same way as the flu vaccine, then yes certainly it can be offered as a work perk as part of an employer’s commitment to ensure the health and wellbeing of their employees,” says Emma O'Leary, HR Director for ELAS Group.

However, you could be waiting a long time, especially as it is yet to be confirmed if the  vaccine will become available privately – not least working out the logistics of supply and storage.

What else could employers do now to pave the way for employees coming back to the office?

Employers have a general duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees. Whether you decide to make the vaccine compulsory, offer it as a benefit, or leave it up to your employees, there are other things you can do as an employer to make it easier for people to come back to the office environment.

The main aspect of these is maintaining the safety measures you already have in place. Remember that it may be some time before all your employees are able to get the vaccine – and that medical professionals recommend that Covid-19-secure practices are still used alongside this. 

With this in mind, IWG has taken measures in all its operating brand centres to ensure the safety of customers. These include everything from enhanced hygiene protocols to guidelines for socially distanced meetings. 

How could flexspace help?

It’s worth remembering that, for some of your employees, being in the office is only part of their concern. The commute to and from the workplace may also be seen as a risk. Offering access to flexspace – flexible office space closer to where your employees work – could help. 

There’s also the new demand from employees who’ve had a taste of a better work-life balance and don’t want to give it up. Office space nearby allows for the best of both worlds. 

Research by KPMG found 50% of financial services workers want to continue working flexibly after the pandemic, but only a quarter want to stay fully remote. The trend for ‘hybrid working’ (where some staff work from the main office, some from home, and some from a satellite office) is growing in popularity among employees, so being able to facilitate this will be increasingly important for businesses looking to retain (and keep safe) its talent.

IWG has been helping businesses like yours with corporate flexspace solutions for the last 30 years. Find out how we can support you today