Many Americans have awaited the day the country could reopen and welcome workers back to in-person environments safely. The Covid-19 vaccine roll-out has brought us closer than ever. But some companies are wondering how they can legally monitor their employees’ vaccination status. There are many ways to collect vaccination data from your workforce, but today we’ll discuss vaccine management platforms.
Are Vaccine Management Platforms Ethical?
As companies seek ways to track vaccination at their organizations, they have had to grapple with privacy concerns around collecting what could be sensitive health data.
Management should monitor access to the platform closely. Put new systems in place to track and secure data.
Ethical concerns already exist around the idea of employees required to get vaccinations by their companies. There are exemptions in place for those with disabilities and religious beliefs around immunization. Some companies have been choosing to strongly urge workers to vaccinate rather than writing policies around new requirements to avoid potential litigation around those gray areas.
Remote work has been a way around the situation, as well, with some companies preferring to set employees up for remote work rather than force vaccinations.
Finding the Right Vaccine Management Platform
Vaccine management software remains an evolving industry, with many big names in tech like Google focused on supporting local agencies to manage vaccine distribution. Their Intelligent Vaccine Impact solution is used to analyze distribution best practices, assess local attitudes, and allow individuals to schedule their appointments.
But there are several platforms already in use by companies looking for effective vaccine management solutions in-house.
Before implementing software, companies must analyze their needs and any existing constraints. For example, determine budgets available for platforms, whether they need to hire out support services to install platforms and the burden on IT staff. Companies should consider whether there would be buy-in at their organization for systems put in place, as well, with reporting on these platforms largely voluntary.
If your company hopes tracking vaccinated employees will improve the safety of your overall workforce, look to these tracking solutions.
SalesForce Vaccine Cloud
Salesforce was one of the first remote work management scenes when remote work became the norm over a year ago. Its most recent tool, the Vaccine Cloud, supports the logistics of vaccine distribution for organizations handling their employees’ vaccinations and a way to address challenges with getting employees to get vaccinated.
Capabilities include allowing employees to share their vaccination status, disseminating information related to vaccines, and following up with appointment scheduling once employees are eligible for the vaccine.
Workday Return to Workplace
Workday has added a tool to monitor the vaccine status of employees to its broader Return to Workplace applications. Their model is meant to improve a company’s agility during this uncertain time, connecting workers with the tools they need to work remotely successfully. The vaccine management element allows for real-time data management by pulling information from third-party sources. Confidential self-reporting by employees is a crucial piece of their systems.
ServiceNow
Cloud-based ServiceNow has added a subscription service, Vaccine Administration Management, to their existing return-to-work software solutions. While used most prominently by the healthcare industry for vaccine distribution efficiency, the suite has also been an essential communication tool for companies looking to boost awareness around vaccine access.
How to Use Vaccine Management Platforms
Management can utilize a vaccine management platform to determine when it’s safe to return to in-person work. Vaccination tracking may assure employees that a company is taking the necessary precautions as they head to the office.
However, there are challenges to ensure the privacy of employees and the success of a vaccine management platform.
Management strategies include making sure companies avoid linking vaccine data with identifying information about employees’ health histories. Tools should include a review of state privacy laws, including how COVID-19 impacting employment law has upended the industry and vaccine information provided voluntarily by employees.
Vaccine data should be kept separate from additional employee files, like personnel files. Companies must collect consent for the use of any vaccine management software.
Navigating Change With DataCheck
Challenging times should still allow room for safe and effective hiring practices. Here at DataCheck, we have over 20 years of experience working with companies to do just that with high-quality, comprehensive employee screening services. We’ll help keep your workplace a safe space.