UK business owners actively encouraging staff to take up vaccination
- 73% of SMEs have been actively encouraging staff to be vaccinated
- 45% will require new staff members to provide evidence of vaccination before employing them
- 42% would be prepared to pay for booster shots
Three quarters of the UK’s SMEs have been actively encouraging their employees to be vaccinated, with many planning to require new staff members to provide evidence of vaccination before employing them, should it become legally possible, according to the latest independent research* from Close Brothers Asset Finance.
Since being made available, three out of four business owners have said they have been urging employees to be vaccinated, with only 22% stating they have not. Close to half (45%) will require new staff members to provide evidence of vaccination before employing them; however, 39% said they would not because it’s a personal choice.
Should Covid booster shots become widely available, 42% of firms indicated they would pay for staff to be vaccinated, against 39% who said they would not.
“Nearly 70% of the UK population has been fully vaccinated with close to a 100 million doses having been administered,” said Neil Davies, CEO, Close Brothers Asset Finance. “And as the effectiveness of the vaccine has become apparent, business owners are clearly determined to get back to normal as soon as possible, which includes getting staff vaccinated.
“Interestingly, 41% of business owners are preparing for a winter lockdown, which is evidence of sentiment among the UK SME population that the impact of the pandemic will be with us for some time yet.”
