Half of UK workers believe vaccination is needed before return to office – poll

By Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent

Only half of workers believe staff should be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before returning to the office, a new study suggests.

Jobs site Glassdoor said its survey of 2,000 workers found strong support for employers incentivising staff to take the vaccination, such as paying them a bonus.

Around one in eight respondents said they do not intend to have a vaccine but some indicated they would be more likely to have the jab if their employer gave them an incentive.

Two thirds of workers believe that social distancing and wearing masks should remain compulsory until everyone in the office has been vaccinated, said the report.

Carina Cortez, chief people officer at Glassdoor, said: “The UK government has made it clear that it is a business decision whether the Covid-19 vaccine is mandatory for all staff.

“With the majority of employees appearing to want standard precautions such as social distancing to remain until all employees have been vaccinated, employers should be working on their office re-entry plan.

“It seems UK employees are unwilling to be rushed back into the office, so we recommend each employer must take into account employee feedback to determine what is best for their workforce, including a policy on whether vaccinations will be compulsory.

“This is an incredibly sensitive area but the bigger opportunity here is to define what office life will be like, both this year and in the long term.”