Marie Watson wanted to be one of the first when she and other essential workers were eligible for the coronavirus vaccine – and with good reason.
The maintenance company for a Mission Foods tortilla factory in Pueblo, Colorado, lost her father to COVID-19 in the fall and was told by a doctor last year that she almost certainly had the virus.
When her union, the United Food Workers and Commercial Workers, secured appointments for the plant’s 200 workers, she jumped into her car and drove for the first of two doses to a nearby transit clinic.
“There was a sense of relief,” Watson said. “It was more confirmation that I was on my way to being normal.”
A growing number of unions and companies are making a shot for their employees as it grows. Some large companies, such as Amazon, offer on-the-job vaccination through licensed healthcare providers, while smaller outfits book appointments for workers in other locations.
For employers, the vaccines are an important step towards restoring normalcy at a time when they expect the demand for their services to rise as more people are vaccinated. They also bet that employees who initially did not trust the vaccine will change their minds if they see that co-workers are receiving it.
For workers, employer assistance with the vaccine can remove obstacles, including transportation problems or maneuver through patchwork sites to find appointments. This access can help reduce the racial and socio-economic gaps which was opened in the country’s vaccination.
While many essential workers tried for weeks to find time slots, Watson got her chance days after Colorado became eligible for food workers.
Iliana de la Vega, owner of the Mexican restaurant El Naranjo in Austin, Texas, said she assured appointments for all 12 of her employees out of gratitude that they would stick with her through termination orders and capacity constraints.
Some workers hesitated at first, but were quickly convinced with the promise of a day off, De la Vega said.
“Some of them said, ‘We do not know.’ I said, ‘This is not an option. Take it or leave it. Who knows when you will be able to get it again? ‘”Said de la Vega.
Despite the growing number of companies offering vaccinations on the premises, there are signs that some have lost interest. In March, when vaccine admissions increased and distribution efforts in the U.S. improved, a survey by consulting firm Gartner found that 30% of businesses plan to bring vaccines to their employees. It was a 42% drop in January, when the distribution was still dull and appointing appointments was still very difficult for most people.
“The rapid implementation has exceeded their expectations, making companies realize they can sit down,” said Brian Kropp, head of research at Gartner’s human resource practice.
Vaccination of employees is also less urgent for a growing number of businesses adopting permanent distance work policies, Kropp said. While nearly two-thirds of businesses plan to reopen their jobs by the end of this year, the majority say many employees will be able to continue working from home for at least a few days, according to Gartner, who surveyed 300 businesses.
Nevertheless, prominent companies still remain on the list of those offering on-site vaccinations.
Ford Motor Co. and United Auto Workers opened vaccinations in Michigan, Kansas and Ohio on Monday. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine initially put an end to workplace clinics out of concern because they would limit supply, but he allowed them to start again last week as demand at the state’s mass vaccination sites declined.
Amazon launched its long-awaited on-site vaccinations in Kansas, Missouri and Nevada last month. Warehouse and other front-end workers can sign up for shots in kiosks or through Amazon’s employee app.
The yogurt maker Chobani, which employs 2,200 people in the U.S., has partnered with a local pharmacy to vaccinate hundreds of its employees at the factory in Twin Falls, Idaho, according to the company’s chief of staff and culture, Grace Zuncic.
American Airlines, Subaru, chicken producer Mountaire Farms, and agricultural equipment manufacturer Vermeer are among 40 companies that have brought vaccines to their employees through partnerships with Premise Health, a direct healthcare provider. According to the company, American Airlines administers vaccines at airports in Chicago, Charlotte, Tulsa and Dallas-Fort Worth.
At least 25,000 people have been vaccinated by the partnerships, said Prime Minister Jami Doucette. He expects the number to climb into the millions.
Tyson Foods, one of the largest food companies in the world, said it had vaccinated nearly 40,000 workers – nearly one-third of its workers – during vaccination events in 16 states. Tyson also expanded its site last week to be eligible for family members of employees.
Bob Reinhard, who gave rise to Tyson’s vaccination effort, said a minority of employees refused to be vaccinated while others were interested but wanted more information and did not even want to go.
“The secondary group is coming now,” Reinhard said.
Vaccination opportunities organized by employers, along with incentives such as bonuses or paid free time, enable businesses to keep track of how many employees are vaccinated. Employer is legally allowed to need the vaccine, but the vast majority scrambled away from it; some say it does not make sense to do so before everyone is eligible and there is sufficient supply.
The idea still gets a bit of a pull. While Gartner’s March survey showed that only 8% of businesses expect employees to provide evidence of vaccinations, this was a 2% increase in January.
Chobani, who says he avoided outbreaks at his plants and that there were few positive cases among employees, did not rule out the need for the vaccines, Zuncic said. The company plans to determine how many employees were vaccinated by mid-year.
“It’s a discussion going on,” Zuncic said. “We want to get a pulse and realize how far we are.”