Kari Atkinson
Vice president of employee rewards and experience
ManpowerGroup
“In early August, ManpowerGroup announced that as of Oct. 4, to coincide with the official re-opening of our headquarters, all HQ-based employees will be required to be fully vaccinated. This was not a decision we took lightly – taking time to understand what employees needed to feel safe and address any concerns people had. Conversations about safely returning to work have been ongoing since the onset of the pandemic. When ManpowerGroup quickly pivoted to remote work, we built a workplace ready for our employees to return safely. Those conversations happened amongst our leadership team and response team as well as with our employees. We valued and needed their input on how to proceed.
“We made the decision to require vaccinations for several reasons. First, we listened to our people. Gathering feedback and listening to concerns proved invaluable in creating a return plan that would allow us to collaborate effectively, but also safely. The health, safety and well-being of our people has been, and always will be, our top priority.
“Second, we believe vaccines are the best tool to fight the spread of COVID-19, stay healthy and ensure we help keep our employees, their families, and the community, especially those who are most vulnerable, safe. That sentiment was echoed by the vast majority of our employees.”
Keith Coursin
President
Desert Aire
“Last spring, when vaccinations were being made available to the general public, Desert Aire announced that any employee who completed the COVID vaccination process would receive a $100 bonus. This is the same bonus we pay our employees to receive an annual physical exam, as both actions will in the long-term help reduce our medical insurance costs.
“In addition to the bonus, we emailed our employees with information from respected sources, such as the Medical College of Wisconsin, so they could make their own personal decision to move forward with a vaccine. We have encouraged employees to move forward with a shot as this is the only way to ensure the company has employees available to produce our products. So far, we have had only a maximum of three employees out at any one time due to COVID.
“Desert Aire was considered an essential business, with our manufacturing area never shutting down during the pandemic. Within two months of the lockdown, all office employees were back in the office. We encourage mask wearing and social distancing for the non-vaccinated but have never mandated that an employee must get one. We are monitoring the outcome of the recent mandate announcement (from President Biden), as Desert Aire would be required to meet the federal requirement due to our employee count.”
Andrew Grossman
Owner
The Brass Tap, Greenfield
“Our vaccine incentive program offers our employees $200 if they choose to get vaccinated against COVID-19. There is absolutely no penalty for not being vaccinated. The program was created to give both our staff and our customers some peace of mind in uncertain times. We want both our staff and the guests that enter our building to feel safe and welcome within the walls of our establishment.
“The idea came from our corporate office, FSC Franchising Co., (which) encouraged us owners to start implementing the policy in our own stores. I have to give them credit for seeing this as an important issue. My wife, Kat, who runs the business with me, and I jumped at the idea of the program and wanted to show our staff that their health is important to us.
“The past year and a half has obviously been difficult, especially for those in the service industry. Essential workers have been spending the incentive money on necessities and other bills, like student loans. We don't believe in dictating what our employees do with their bodies; it's everyone's choice, but if this incentive program was the nudge they needed to feel comfortable taking off of work to get vaccinated, then we want to encourage that. So far, more than 90% of our staff have been vaccinated.”
