Companies in India plan to facilitate COVID-19 vaccination for employees, dependents: Survey

A significant percentage of companies in India are planning to facilitate vaccination for their employees and dependents, and also plan to cover or subsidise the vaccination cost for their staff, says a survey.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Trends India Survey by Willis Towers Watson, over 50 per cent of companies in India are planning to facilitate vaccination for their employees and dependents.

The survey of more than 150 employers in India was conducted this month.

Further, 80 per cent of companies are considering having the vaccination administered at third-party clinics or hospitals, 21 per cent at their offices and 10 per cent at the residence of their employees.

Nearly all the surveyed companies (97 per cent) plan to cover or subsidise the vaccination cost for their employees, while 78 per cent plan to do so for the spouse/partner, 74 per cent for the children and 59 per cent for the parents.

''This is an unprecedented and ever evolving situation, making it critical for employers to have a holistic and long-term strategy on employee benefits and the future workplace, designed around 5 interconnected C's – Coverage, Cost, Confidence, Convenience and Communication,'' said Vinod V K Head of Health & Benefits Willis Towers Watson India Insurance Brokers.

Further, 40 per cent of the surveyed companies plan to offer incentives to employees to get vaccinated. These include additional sick leaves for vaccination related reactions (57 per cent), pay for time spent getting vaccinated (46 per cent) and other financial incentives (23 per cent).

Importantly, 60 per cent plan to establish a long-term policy where proof of vaccination will be required as a condition for returning to in-person work.

''Given the scale and complexity, it is not surprising that a majority of companies in India anticipate specialised advisory and guidance in navigating the immediate crisis and developing a long-term response to this pandemic,'' Vinod added. PTI DRR MR

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)